May a New Day Dawn
by Flamewing98
Summary: Ash and his Best Friend return to Pallet Town after the Sinnoh League. They have both trained very hard for 3 years and are glad to return home. However, two well known coordinators have been waiting for them and Ash's friend seems to have some type of strange ability. To top it off, new lands await our heroes along with new threats. How will this adventure unfold? AshxMay DawnxOC
1. Chapter 1: Homecoming

**May a New Day Dawn**

**Hello Readers, Flamewing here. I'd just like to state that this is my first ever fanfic, so expect some stupid mistakes. I've been reading a bunch of them over the last few weeks and figured I'd give it a shot. I thought of this story's opening while working and also have a note here about it. I'm including two, that's right count 'em, two kinds of shipping in this fic. The first one is Advanceshipping as I love the AshxMay couple. The second one is a little different. It's like Pearlshipping, but with a non-Pokémon character (Or OC as I have come to learn). The OC character is based mostly on myself. I wanted to include myself in the story because that'd give more passion and a reason to write, so I hope you all like learning about my character. This story also takes place a few years later… so here are the characters and their respective ages.**

**Ash- 18**

**Stephen-19**

**May-18**

**Dawn-17**

**Other characters will be outlined as they're introduced.**

**Now, onto the story!**

**Chapter 1. Homecoming**

The sun was setting and the wind was calmly blowing in the small town of Pallet. On the hill, the windmill slowly turned, as it always does. The birds were chirping, as they always do. And the sky was beautiful, as it always was. Silhouetted against the sun, two figures could be seen walking up the away side of the hill. One trainer has messy, raven-colored hair, a baseball cap, and his friendly yellow-mouse Pokémon on his shoulder. Ash Ketchum, now a young-man from Pallet Town, and a well known Pokémon Trainer was finally returning home after being away training for many years after the Sinnoh league. Stopping at the top of the hill, Ash smiled to himself and took in the sights. Suddenly, he felt a hand clasp onto his left shoulder.

"It's nice being back home again eh Ash?" The voice said.

Knowing the voice of his long-time traveling Companion, Ash turned around to look at his best (Human) friend: Stephen, a fellow resident of Pallet Town. **(A.N. It's pronounced like Stee-ven by the way.)** Stephen was a little over 6 feet tall with short, dark brown hair. He had a cow-lick on the front of his hairstyle. His eyes were a calming sapphire-blue and his face looked both serene, but capable of being fierce if the situation called for it. He had on a dark blue hooded-sweatshirt with stripes of yellow going down the sleeves. Underneath he wore a plain yellow shirt. The Blue pants that Stephen had on bore the same. His sneakers were white with lines of blue going around it. Down Stephen's back he wore his distinctive Grey cape with a 1 inch border of a much darker shade of grey. In the middle of this cape was a blue shield with a yellow Dragon wrapped around it.

"Yeah, it's always nice to see that some things just never change." Ash replied with a warm smile on his face. "I just wonder if everyone will recognize us after such a long time."

"Aw come on man, you're worrying too much." Stephen stated, trying to relieve Ash's fears. "We grew up here; of course everyone will recognize us." Nodding, Ash looked back towards the house he grew up in and smiled.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Last one there's a Slowpoke!" Ash laughed as he took off down the hill.

"Hey! No fair I wasn't ready yet!" Stephen complained as he gathered himself and ran after Ash.

As both of the young men ran side-by-side they started discussing their first destination.

"Shouldn't we maybe go see Prof. Oak first?" Stephen asked while breathing a little heavily.

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea, save the best trip for last" Ash replied, implying that going home was the best trip.

Stopping at the door of Prof. Oak's lab, the two young-men knocked on the door.

"I'm on my way!" a familiar voice sounded.

Opening the door, Professor Oak was nearly overtaken with surprise.

"Well lookie who we have here!" The Professor started, taking both of the young-men into a hug. "I haven't seen either of you in so many years! How've you both been?" The Prof. finished by letting them both go.

"We're doing great professor, right Pikachu?" Ash stated looking at his partner.

"_Pikachu!" _was Pikachu's reply.

"Yes Pikachu looks very healthy." Professor Oak said, analyzing Pikachu with his all-knowing eyes. "How about you Stephen?" The professor asked, shifting his gaze to the taller brunette trainer. "Is your Partner doing well?"

Stephen laughed for a couple of seconds before grabbing a Pokéball from his belt.

"Or course Professor! Let me show you. Espeon come on out!" Stephen shouted while tossing the ball into the air.

The ball opened to reveal an almost cat-like Pokémon, with whiskers at its side and a tail that forked into two parts at the end. The Pokémon also had a circular red gem on its forehead and long ears.

"_Espeon!"_ The Pokémon stated with a smile, happy to see the Professor again.

After the Professor looked this new Pokémon over he leaned back with a smile.

"Well I guess I should have known better. Both of you have taken very good care of your Pokémon."

"Of course!" The pair replied, smiles lighting up their faces.

"But let me get a good look at the both of you now, my how you've both grown." The Professor added giving both of the young men an appraising look. They were both decently built from their training, and both also had a confident look in their eyes that nobody could match. Stephen stood slightly taller than Ash, only by about a couple inches however, but even Ash was taller than the esteemed Professor. Ash was wearing slightly larger versions of his Sinnoh clothing and Stephen has the before-mentioned attire. Six Pokéballs lined each of their belts and both looked more matured from their years of training.

"Oh but where are my manners?" Professor Oak started with an embarrassed grin. "Here I am rambling like an old man when you're both probably eager to go home. Well, don't let me keep you."

Both of the young men nodded and turned to leave.

"Thanks professor!" Ash yelled heading for the door with Pikachu on his shoulder.

"It was great seeing you again!" Stephen finished, recalling Espeon into the Pokéball.

After both of the trainers had left, Professor Oak immediately ran to the videophone to call Delia Ketchum, Ash's loving mother. After a couple of rings, the woman answered in her usual cheeriness.

"Oh why hello professor!" she exclaimed smiling at the unexpected phone call.

Professor Oak got right to the point. "They're back."

Shocked at first but quickly regaining her composure, Delia nodded and hung up the phone, having other calls to make before the trainers arrived.

Meanwhile, in Viridian city two well known Pokémon coordinators were relaxing at the Pokémon center after a good day of training for appeals when a phone went off at the desk.

"Hello?" The local Nurse Joy asked, answering the phone. "Yes, they're both still here. I see. I'll put them on right away."

After hanging up the phone the pink-haired nurse looked at the two coordinators. "Excuse me. You two have a call on this first videophone here." The nurse said, gesturing to the line of videophones, the first one lit up.

"I wonder who would call us at this time of day." The Brunette coordinator asked herself.

"Well, only one way to find out." The Blunette coordinator replied.

After answering the phone, an image of Delia Ketchum came on screen. She was quick and to the point, much like Professor Oak.

"Girls, they're back." She stated and then hung up the phone.

Both coordinators both couldn't believe their ears! Ash and Stephen were finally back after years without contact! They both quickly hung up the phone, gathered their belongings and ran from the Pokémon-Center heading down the short road to Pallet town.

Nurse Joy sweat dropped and laughed to herself. "I wonder what has them all excited."

Meanwhile, back in Pallet Town, the two returning Trainers stood in front of Ash's house, too worked up to knock on the door. After a few minutes of self-pep talking to themselves, Ash was the first one to knock on the door to his house.

"I'm coming~" a cheerful voice rang from somewhere inside. Shortly after, the door was opened and Ash's mother smiled at her guests.

"My little Ashy is back!" she nearly shouted, dashing out the door and grabbing Ash into a very tight hug, causing the trainer to blush a little.

"Mom…I…can't….breathe!" Ash managed to get out.

Letting go of her son after a few seconds, she smiled and looked at her second visitor, looked slightly up at she noted.

"And Stephen is here too!" the mother smiled grabbing the other trainer and hugging him nearly as hard.

Chuckling and wearing a sheepish grin, Stephen returned the gesture.

"It's nice to see you too Mrs. Ketchum." Stephen finally replied after the mother finally let him go.

After looking at both of the trainers, noticing right away that they both had grown, physically and mentally, Delia smiled and let the two young men inside.

"I was just about finished making dinner." Delia stated while shutting the door behind her.

Both of the trainer's stomachs started to grumble at the thought of Mrs. Ketchum's cooking.

"Why don't you all let your Pokémon out in the back yard while I finish? I can have Mimey cook them some food as well." Delia suggested opening the door to the yard.

"Hey, great idea mom!" Ash laughed going out the door to the yard."Come on Stephen!"

"I'm right behind you!" The brunette trainer replied, heading out into the yard as well. The backyard was truly beautiful with flowers and plant of all shapes and sizes planted in very organized rows. The garden was about 30 feet by 30 feet and had a small pond in the far left corner. Beside the pond, two picnic tables were placed under the shade of a tall Oran berry tree.

"Come on out everyone!" Ash shouted tossing all five of his Pokéballs into the air. After popping out in white lights, Ash's Pokémon all announced themselves. The Pokémon were Pikachu, Infernape, Staraptor, Torterra, Gliscor, and Floatzel.

"Let's have a little fun and just relax today gang." Ash started. "We've been training or a long time, and we've earned the rest. The Pokémon all cheered and went off to rest and relax.

"O.K. everyone, let's come on out!" Stephen shouted tossing his six Pokéballs into the air.

Out popped Stephen's Pokémon, all happy to see their trainer. They were all as follows: Espeon, Typhlosion, Swampert, Electivire, Aggron, and a rare-colored Absol.

"I can only repeat what Ash said I suppose." Stephen started, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand. "So just relax today, you guys have all earned it."

After all of Stephen's Pokémon cheered as well, they too went to relax on their own. Ash went to take a quick nap under the Oran tree while Stephen laid on his back on top of one of the picnic tables, looking into the sky. Releasing a happy sigh, Stephen become lost in his thoughts.

"_It really is nice to be back. We've trained so hard, done so much, and accomplished many things. I can't wait until some new challenge comes my way, 'cuz my Pokemon and I will be ready!" _

A gentle breeze blew making some leaves from the Oran tree rustle. Stephen instinctively stuck his hand out and an Oran berry fell perfectly into it. Bringing the berry closer to his face, Stephen remembered something he had picked up earlier. Sitting up and reaching into his pocket, Stephen pulled a small pink fruit with a slight heart-shape to it. It was a Pecha Berry.

"Hey Ash!" Stephen called out to his friend napping under the tree.

"Hm?" Ash wondered as he lifted the right end of his cap up to look at his friend.

"Do you think your mom would mind if I planted a Pecha tree here? I think it'd make a nice addition to the garden here."

"Go ahead and ask her." Ash replied, gesturing to the open window from the kitchen.

"MRS KETCHUM!" Stephen shouted, waking some of the Pokemon.

"What is it Stephen?" the woman replied, leaning her head out the window.

"Can I plant this Pecha berry in your garden please? I think it would make a great addition to all of the other plants." Stephen inquired while holding the pecha berry for Mrs. Ketchum to see.

Smiling at the young man's thought, Mrs. Ketchum was sad to inform him that Pecha berries had a hard time growing in Pallet Town as the soil isn't quite right. They only grow in certain spots.

"Can I at least try? Please?" Stephen begged.

"You're free to try dearie." Was the reply he received.

Hopping off of the table and looking around, Stephen began inspecting different spots of the garden for an ideal spot for the future tree. After a few minutes of finding unsuitable spots, he stopped in front of Ash's Torterra in the far right corner of the garden. Stephen's irises became purple for a brief second before fading back to their usual blue.

"Hey Torterra, would you mind moving for me please? I think I just found the perfect spot for this tree." Stephen asked while smiling. Seeing his request as reasonable, Torterra nodded and moved next to the pond and lay down by Swampert. Stephen dug a small hole with his hands and dropped the Pecha berry into it. After gently covering up the hole, Stephen gave the spot a small bit of water from the hose.

"There!" Stephen stated proudly with his hands on his waist "That spot should do nicely."

Peering around the tree to see what his friend was doing, Ash spoke up.

"What made you choose where Torterra was sleeping Stephen?"

Stephen could only smile and shrug. "I've just got a feeling."

After pondering his friend's actions, Ash merely shrugged it off and turned back around to resume his nap and let his thoughts drift. Stephen had grown somewhat of a green thumb while out training over the years. He seemed to be able to predict things involving people or nature, but he couldn't quite explain how.

"_No matter." Ash thought to himself "There's a time and a place for everything." _Just as Ash was about to fall asleep he heard his mother's voice from the kitchen window.

"Boys~! Dinner is ready!"

"Alright!" The two trainers cheered as they ran into the house, both retaining a fond memory of Mrs. Ketchum's cooking.

After both of the boys had sat down at the table Ash was staring earnestly into the kitchen, awaiting the very second that Mrs. Ketchum would walk around the corner with some delicious food. Stephen, however, noticed something off.

"Hey Mrs. Ketchum? Why did you set out two extra plates?" Stephen asked, noticing that five total plates had been set out. It was then that he heard footsteps coming downstairs.

_Earlier…_

On the hill leading into Pallet Town, two women stopped for a moment to catch their breath. One had Brunette hair covered by a red bandana, a red short-sleeve shirt with a black tank top underneath. She also has on dark blue shorts and red shoes. Hey hair resembles an upside down V somewhat, and came down to just past her shoulders. The other had blue hair that went down to just above her waist, with a white beanie, gold clips in her hair and a black tank-top. Her miniskirt was pink to match her boots. She also wore a red scarf around her neck.

"Do you think they'll be excited to see us?" The brunette asked her companion after regaining her breath.

"No need to worry! I'm sure they missed us just as much as we missed them!" The blunette replied.

After pausing for a second, both women blushed slightly as they realized just how much they missed the two trainers.

"Well… maybe nearly as much as we missed them."

"Come on then!" The brunette yelled starting down the hill "They can't wait all day for us!"

"Wait for me!" The second coordinator replied, starting off down the hill after her companion.

After running for a bit, the two coordinators were standing in front of the house of Ash Ketchum. It took them a second to compose themselves, but the brunette eventually knocked on the door. After waiting for a few seconds, Mrs. Ketchum answered the door and smiled.

"Oh girls! I hadn't expected you here so quickly!" The mother stated with her usual smile.

"Well when we heard that Ash and Stephen were back, we just couldn't wait to see them again." The blunette answered. "Are they really here?"

Nodding, Mrs. Ketchum let them both in and led them to the kitchen window.

"Now I want your visits to be a surprise, so only take a quick peek ok? Mrs. Ketchum instructed.

Nodding, both girls looked around the ledge to get a glimpse of the two trainers in the yard. One trainer was walking around inspecting the soil for some reason. He kept muttering to himself and shaking his head, making his way over to a sleeping Torterra. The other, raven-haired trainer was happily sleeping under the tree with his hat pulled over his face.

"Wow, they've both grown up so much!" The brunette whispered.

"Why is Stephen wearing a cape though? The blunette asked her.

"I'm not sure, it seems kinda odd to me."

"I think it makes him look rather dashing."

Both girls giggled at the thought, but they quickly hid as soon as they heard one of the trainers speak.

"_Hey Torterra, would you mind moving for me please?"_

"O.K. girls, enough staring now." Mrs. Ketchum teased "Go upstairs and get ready to come down on the signal."

"What's the signal?" The brunette coordinator asked.

Winking at them both, Mrs. Ketchum told them what to listen for. Both girls then went to the top of the stairs, just out of sight, waiting to hear the words to descend.

"Boys~! Dinner is ready!" Mrs. Ketchum called from the kitchen.

"_Alright!"_

After hearing some chairs being pulled out both girls tensed up a little, nervous about seeing the trainers after so long.

" _Hey Mrs. Ketchum… why are there five plates at the table?" _they heard a voice ask. Knowing that was the cue, the two girls casually walked downstairs.

"Hellooo boys~" They both said, walking down the stairs with smiles on their faces.

Looking over, both Ash and Stephen had questioning expressions, not expecting anyone else to be at the house. However, their looks quickly changed to delight after seeing who the guests were.

"May!" Ash nearly yelled, happy to see his friend.

"And Dawn!" Stephen quickly followed, happy as well to see the coordinator.

"So how've you two been?" May ask with a wink.

"Catch any new Pokemon?" Dawn followed with a wink of her own.

"You know it!" Both trainers happily replied at the same time.

"Well I hope you boys are hungry~" Mrs. Ketchum called from the entrance to the kitchen, holding a big platter of the most delicious food any of the four trainers had seen in a long time. Just that moment, the stomachs of both of our male trainers decided to make their presence known, making everyone laugh." Well come on girls! I set plates out for the two of you as well."

Both girls made their way to sit at the table, May across from Ash, and Dawn across from Stephen. May got to her chair first and sat down and pulled herself closer to the table. However, just as Dawn was about to pull her chair out it seemed to move itself away from the table. Catching a glimpse of a retreating white sneaker, she smiled.

"Why thank-you Stephen." She thanked.

Winking at her, Stephen could only reply "Whatever are you talking about Dawn?"

Blushing slightly at Stephen winking at her, she quickly felt it pass and sat down, scooting closer to the table.

"Eat up! I made plenty enough for everyone." Delia Ketchum cheered happily, setting the food down on the table. There were ribs, burgers, spaghetti noodles and sauce, and some delicious looking potatoes. After taking a moment to admire the meal before them, the group quickly started piling some food onto their plates, Ash and May's plates significantly higher than those of Stephen and Dawn.

"Ah how I missed your spaghetti Mrs. Ketchum!" Stephen sniffed happily at his plate of pasta. Then something occurred to him. _I made plenty enough for everyone! _"Wait a second." Everyone stopped upon hearing this.

"Is something wrong Stephen?" Delia asked, concern showing on her face.

Stephen only raised an eyebrow and smiled at her. "You said you made enough for everyone." He gestured to May and Dawn. "Did you know they were coming?"

"Hey yeah!" Ash said, putting the puzzle pieces together

Delia could only laugh to herself upon hearing this piece of insight. "Well Stephen I see still nothing escapes your notice."

"Especially the taste of this delicious spaghetti!" Stephen pointed out, his mouth already full of the pasta.

Everyone just laughed and returned to their meals. After a few minutes of eating, May was the one to break the silence.

"So Ash, what kind of new Pokemon did you get exactly?" She asked, wiping some BBQ sauce from her face.

"Oh, all kinds!" Ash happily exclaimed "It's hard to narrow it down to just a select few though. Dawn could tell you of some of them. Some of the gang are from Sinnoh, like Torterra for example. Dawn smiled, thinking back when Torterra was just a little Turtwig. "How have you been May? Win any more contests?"

"Of course!" The coordinator proudly stated. "You've gotta hear about this one contest in Olivine City, it was so amazing!" May then proceeded to talk…and talk… and talk about the contest she so fondly remembered.

Sweat dropping at her friend, Dawn turned to Stephen and blushed a little before asking "So…uh... Stephen, did you um… miss…me?" That final part little more than a squeak.

Upon hearing this, Stephen nearly choked on his milk he had been drinking. After coughing for about a minute, and answering all of the replies asking if he was ok, Stephen replied with a sheepish grin "Sorry Dawn, what did you ask me? I seem to have forgotten."

Dawn teasingly kicked Stephen's shins under the table and asked her question again, without the squeak this time. Ash and May (well… mostly May) were still talking about May's contests and paid little attention to the other two.

"Well…uh…I-I…uh…." Stephen stuttered, turning slowly to the left while rubbing the back of his head. "Gah!"

Typhlosion had slipped into the house and was giving Stephen a level gaze. After staring at it's trainer for a few seconds, it's face broke out into a grin and Typhlosion was laughing at its trainer, causing Dawn to giggle, and Stephen to blush.

Quickly recovering, Stephen gathered himself "Typhlosion! Shouldn't you be outside with the others?" he inquired, embarrassed at his Pokémon's actions. Typhlosion quickly returned outside when Dawn heard a voice.

_Of course I missed you Dawn._

"Huh?" Dawn wondered, looking around for the source of the voice. "That kinda sounded like—"

"What's the matter Dawn?" Ash asked, reaching for more food for his third plate already

"Oh it's nothing." Dawn said, brushing the event to the corner of her mind "No need to worry."

"You know what my reply is about to be… right Dawn?" Stephen said with a smile, ready to correct her if she answered wrong. Dawn quickly put an end to his scheme by kicking his shin again, not teasingly this time, causing his eyes to twitch and water a little.

"Ow." He mouthed, causing Dawn to giggle again.

The rest of the meal proceeded without incident, and after the gang had finished their meals, Mrs. Ketchum cleared the table and went to the kitchen to do dishes. Ash and May both let out large burps, causing Stephen and Dawn to sweat-drop.

"Well Ash, you were right." Stephen laughed "Some things never do change.

"I'd lean over and slap you Stephen" May sighed "But I'm too full." This brought another round of laughter from the group.

"Well it's getting late, should we all head off to bed?" Ash asked, leaning towards the stairs.

"Yeah sounds good… I'm sleepier than a Snorlaaaaahhhhhhhhx." Stephen replied, a yawn interrupting him.

"Oh my gosh!" Dawn cried out "How're we gonna make it back to our rooms at the Pokemon Center?"

Luckily, Mrs. Ketchum heard this and already had a solution. "You and May are more than welcome to sleep in the guest bedroom for the night! There should be a spare bed and I know Ash has an extra sleeping bad lying around."

"Really? Thanks Mrs. K.!" May happily replied. After the gang had all gone upstairs and changed into their sleeping attire, they both were in their separate rooms preparing for bed. Ash and Stephen shared a room, while May and Dawn shared the guest room.

"So? Did Stephen miss you?" May asked her friend while lounging on the bed.

Dawn only blushed again, fortunately with her back to May, as she was putting her diary away after logging the day's events.. "Well he didn't actually say it but—" She started, suddenly remembering the voice. _Of course I missed you Dawn. _"Hey May, did you hear a voice at all during dinner?" Dawn asked, turning to May.

"No, why…? May responded, leaning up and looking at her friend with a confused expression. "When did you hear it?"

"Right after Stephen told his Typhlosion to go outside." Dawn recollected. A playful smile appeared on May's face.

"Wasn't it right around there that you asked Stephen the question?" she pointed out "what did the voice even say.

Dawn blushed, again, and mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that? You'll have to speak up." May teased, raising a hand to her ear.

"The voice said 'Of course I missed you Dawn.'" The Blunette was finally able to get out, her face redder than a Krabby.

"Wait, but I didn't hear Stephen say anything, he was too busy pointing at the door so his Typhlosion would leave him alone." May said.

"That's what I thought, but now I know for sure, that was definitely Stephen's voice I heard." Dawn stated, mostly to herself. Shrugging, she went on to say "Well it won't do us any good to sleep in too late, we should go to bed and see what happens in the morning. Goodnight May." Dawn concluded, climbing into her sleeping bag.

"Goodnight Dawn." May replied, turning off the lamp.

_Meanwhile…_

Ash and Stephen were relaxing from the day's events, Ash rubbing Pikachu on his lap, Stephen on his sleeping bag on the floor. After a few minutes, Ash could sense that something was bothering his friend, so he looked over and asked him "Is everything o.k. Stephen? You seem to have something on your mind."

"_Did dawn somehow hear me?" Stephen thought to himself "I know I seem to have some sort of…ability. I can tell what people are thinking, but only certain people seem able to hear me. I've been able to better understand my Pokemon thanks to this talent, but what if it has other aspects that I'm unaware of? What if I can somehow—"_

"Hey Stephen, are you ok? Ash repeated, snapping Stephen out of his trance. Knowing his friend's concern, Stephen took a deep breath before answering.

"Yeah something is bothering me, but I'm trying to piece it together on my own. If I can't figure it out, I'll ask you… alright?" Nodding at the response, Ash twisted to turn the lamp off so the two could fall asleep.

"Well as long as you're ok for now." Ash replied

"No need to worry man, I'm fine." Stephen yawned, turning on his side so he could get comfortable. He heard Ash chuckling.

"Sheesh, you see her for one day and you already sound just like Dawn." Ash pointed out, rolling onto his side as well. Stephen was glad Ash had turned the lights out as he didn't know how to explain why his face felt suddenly very hot. With a final sigh, everyone in the Ketchum house eventually drifted off to sleep.

**Well, that was it. I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 1 of May a new Dawn Rise. It became a lot longer than I imagined it, the little word counter to the bottom left of my screen approaching nearly 5 thousand. I should probably wrap this up. Feel free to review my story and recommend it to others to read if you'd like. I was heavily inspired by other Fics I've read so pm me if you would like some reading materiel on a rainy day and I'll point ya to a few gold mines. Also, for any one you who felt it in them to follow this story (Thanks a bundle) I hope to have chapter 2 up within 2 weeks at the least. I have college to deal with, at the moment, with many tests and exams right around the corner (not yay!) But after finals I have a solid month off so maybe I can ever write a chapter a week! We'll have to wait and see. Thanks again for reading and this is Flamewing… signing off.**


	2. Chapter 2: Revelations

**Hello everyone, Flamewing again. I'd like to stop and thank all of you who read my first chapter. It means a lot to me. Secondly, thanks to all of my future readers, any of you who decide to stick with the story until the end, and anyone who favorite the story. Lastly, I changed the font to Calibri as Times New Roman makes an n typed after r look like an m… and it bugged me… a lot… Now enough blathering… to the story!**

**P.S. I don't own Pokemon.**

**P.S.S. This chapter may get a little dark but don't worry, it ends on a happy note ;)**

Chapter 2. Revelations

The sun was just starting to rise on what looked like another beautiful day in Pallet town. Both of our male heroes were starting to wake up from the events of the previous day.

"Hey Stephen you awake?" Ash asked his friend, having stretched the sleep off.

"Yeah, let's go make some breakfast." The brunette trainer replied "What time is it anyways?"

"About 5:45." Ash stated, while looking at the clock.

"Well, no time like the present." Stephen quoted while getting up and stretching.

"Alright, but I think I'll hit the shower first." Ash started, while grabbing some clothes from his drawer "In all the excitement yesterday I forgot to shower." Stephen simply laughed.

"Save some hot water for me too alright?"

"Yeah I hear ya." Ash responded, heading into the bathroom and closing the door behind him. Stephen was left alone chuckling to himself. However, he quickly rose and went to Ash's closet to grab his own set of clothing from his pack. After grabbing his attire and setting it out for when he would be done in the shower, he kept looking in the closet. Seeing his trusty weapon exactly where he left it, Stephen smiled.

"Hello Caesar." He said to himself, pulling his trusty sword from its scabbard in the closet. The sword was about 3 and a half feet in length (Or about 1 meter for my non-American readers), and resembled a longsword in appearance. Its hilt was made of ivory and featured two amethyst-like gems embedded just below the blade. One edge of the blade was made to be flat, for non-lethal strikes, while the other side was sharpened to a point that could probably cut diamond. It shined in the little bit of sunlight coming through the window, bringing many memories to Stephen's mind. Suddenly, he remembered what his morning plans were and he went to grab Espeon's Pokéball.

"We've got to stay in shape buddy, so after showering and a light breakfast we gotta head out and do some early morning training. Sound good to you?" Stephen explained to the Pokéball, knowing Espeon could hear him. The ball wiggled a little in his hand, showing Espeon's excitement of the day to come. By then, Stephen heard the shower turn off and a few minutes later, Ash came out looking clean and refreshed. He had on his Sinnoh outfit and an eager look on his face.

"It's all yours." Ash said with a smile, gesturing to the shower. "I even remembered to save you a few drops of hot water."

"You better hope it's more than that, for your sake." Stephen replied with a friendly punch to Ash's shoulder. After closing the door behind him, Stephen got into the shower and cleaned up for the day ahead.

Meanwhile, Ash was left to his thoughts. He had noticed Stephen's sword in the corner and wondered why he felt the need to bring it along. It had been a while since he was given the sword and he hadn't needed to use it for a long time.

"I guess he doesn't want his skills to get rusty." Ash convinced himself. Looking on his bed, Pikachu was sill happily asleep, probably dreaming about ketchup or something. He sat down and started scratching his long-time pal behind the ears, hoping he didn't wake him up. Ash could only return to his thoughts.

"_I wonder what was bothering Stephen last night. He seemed pretty upset by something." _ Ash wondered _"Maybe he just was happy to see Dawn again. He did talk about her a lot while we were out training, and got a little defensive when I pointed it out to him. It's good to know how strong their friendship is."_ Ash concluded his thoughts. Leaning back on his bed, he went over the exercises he planned to do for the morning warm-up he had in mind. After a few minutes, Stephen had finished his shower and had donned his clothing. Fastening his cape to his back, Stephen opened the door and stood proudly in the doorway.

"Shall we make some breakfast now?" He asked Ash, who looked up as the door opened.

"Yeah sure, what do you have in mind?"

"Hmm… how about some waffles?"

"Yeah, sure, why not? Oh, I found your sword here in the corner by my closet. What did you grab it out for?" Ash asked his friend, handing Stephen his sword and scabbard.

"I'm not too sure myself actually." Stephen revealed, tying his sword to his waist by his belt. "I just have a strange feeling that we might need it sometime soon.

"Well if you say so." Ash gave in, getting up to head downstairs for some breakfast.

As the two trainers quietly made their way to the stairs, Stephen paused for a second to peek into the girl's room to make sure they were sleeping alright. He was relieved to see that both May and Dawn were sleeping just fine.

"_Dawn"_ Stephen thought to himself, as his eyes flashed purple again. Quickly turning to leave, he followed Ash downstairs to make some delicious waffles. Once they got to the kitchen, both trainers set about mixing batter and heating up the waffle-iron.

"Heh, it's a good thing we learned how to finally cook eh Ash?" Stephen asked Ash while mixing some batter.

"Well it ain't exactly Brock's cooking, but I was getting a little sick of Pokemon Center rations." Ash replied with a smirk. After a few more minutes of mixing ingredients, the batter was ready to be made into waffles. It was at that moment that Delia Ketchum walked into the kitchen, surprised to see anyone else, especially these two, up and about already.

"What are you two doing up this early?" The mother asked

"What does it look like mom? We're makin' some waffles!" Ash told her.

"Why don't you sit down and we can make you a couple too?" Stephen added, pointing to a chair with his stirring spoon. Shocked at first by this act of hospitality from her usually sleep-aholic son and friend, Delia simply smiled and sat down. After about 20 minutes, enough waffles had been made to feed the group. Stephen and Mrs. Ketchum each had 3 while Ash had seven for himself. All three of them had started eating when Mrs. Ketchum broke the silence.

"So really, what made you boys get up this early?" She inquired, remembering when they both would happily sleep until nearly noon.

"We've been getting up this early for quite a while mom." Ash told her between bites.

"Yeah, we get up and go exercise for a bit to keep ourselves in shape." His brunette friend finished for him. Delia could only stare at the two of them. Since when did they exercise? Ash used to have a regular build to him and Stephen was downright scrawny. Now the both of them were well built and ready for anything.

"_I guess three years can do a lot for people."_ She thought to herself. After Stephen and Ash had completed their meals, they brought their plates to the sink and, much to Mrs. Ketchum's surprise, started doing dishes.

"O.K. who are you two and what have you done with the real Stephen and Ash?" She decided to tease. The two boys only flashed her big grins and finished the dishes. It was about 6:30 when they were done and the two decided it was time to head out.

"We'll be training on Route 1 for a bit mom!" Ash called as he headed for the door.

"We'll try to be back by 9 o.k. Mrs. Ketchum?" Stephen said over his shoulder.

"You boys have fun." Was all she could get out. The shock still hadn't quite left her yet just how much her son and friend had grown. She even forgot to remind Stephen that he could call her Delia by now… or even better… mom.

After shutting the door behind them, the two decided to start with some stretches.

"Hey Espeon come on out." Stephen called, releasing his partner from its ball. "Why don't you stretch with us? I have an exercise I want to do that we haven't done in a while.

"_Espeon!"_ The Sun Pokemon cried after seeing its trainer. Espeon quickly joined in on some morning stretches until the trainers decided to jog to Route 1 to find a good spot to get their routines in. After about 20 minutes, they came upon a clearing not too far from a small pond.

"Well this area looks good to me." Ash pointed out, barely winded.

"Then let's get started." Stephen replied, drawing his sword. He turned to Espeon and told it "Now Espeon, I know we haven't trained like this in quite a while, but I want you to see if you remember how to make an image of me. Espeon nodded as its eyes started to glow blue. Seemingly from nowhere, a copy of Stephen appeared in front of Espeon, only it was translucent and blue.

"Great work Espeon!" His trainer encouraged "Now give me a second to Focus." He finished his sentence by entering a battle stance and doing the calming exercises he was taught. Closing his eyes, he imagined a flame, only it was a purple flame, and fed all of his emotions into it; his fears, joys, love, hate, worries, etc. Soon he felt only himself and the blade in his hands. After staying in this state for a few seconds, Stephen opened his eyes only to reveal that they had turned purple again, staying permanently this time. "Let's begin!" He yelled as he charged at his phantom image. The sound of steel hitting steel was audible for a great distance as the trainer and his phantom traded blows again and again. Using moves like "The Swanna flies over the mountain" and "The Rampaging Gyarados strikes", it was truly a masterful display of swordsmanship. Neither side could gain any sort of advantage over the other.

Stephen was soon coated in sweat and was breathing heavily. Smiling at his partner, he praised it for making the copy perfectly at his skill level. Espeon couldn't reply however, as it had to focus all of its energy on maintaining the phantom image. Meanwhile, Ash was sitting with his back to the pond, doing the Aura training exercises that he was taught. Calm breathing, being one with your thoughts, and focusing your mind, Ash soon had a blue aura about him as his mind was focused, ignoring the swordplay going on not too far from him. Holding his right hand out with its palm up, a small sphere of blue energy formed: an Aura Sphere.

Opening his eyes to reveal that they had turned as blue as the aura around him, Ash shot his Aura Sphere into the air, working on controlling its flight with his Aura. He had it fly through branches, under leaves, and through gaps in trees to work on his control. Once he was satisfied, he had the ball of energy fly at him, only to be hit by another of its kind, destroying both in a shower of blue sparks. Ash released his focus, and his eyes returned to the warm auburn color they were known for, and the aura around him faded away. He was breathing fairly heavily since making Aura Spheres took a lot out a person. Looking at Stephen, Ash decided the both of them could use a break.

"Hey, Stephen!" He hollered "Why don't we relax a bit and maybe go for a swim?" His focus lost, and eyes tinted their signature blue again, Stephen nodded and sheathed his sword, saluting his phantom image by placing his left arm behind his back, and raising his right fist to his chest, with head bowed. The phantom returned the gesture and phased out of existence as Espeon released the energy.

"Great work again Espeon." Stephen praised his partner again "You may not have hit me but I didn't hit you either. I've got some catching up to do." He finished with a smile.

"_Espi Espeon!" _Espeon replied, joy apparent on its face after being praised by its trainer.

"Now come on, we could use a little rest. Why don't you sit by the lake and use Morning Sun to refresh yourself a bit?" Stephen told his faithful companion while they both walked over to Ash.

"So how did training with Espeon go?" Ash asked his friend as they both sat down by the edge of the pond.

"Well either Espeon has been practicing, or I've gotten a little rusty." Stephen replied with a sheepish grin "I didn't manage to hit my copy even once."

"Well why not take a break. Maybe you can start again once we've rested for a bit." Ash replied, turning to face the middle of the pond.

"Yeah, sounds like a good plan to me." Stephen said, lying down on the grass looking up at the clouds. His Espeon curled up beside him and glowed faintly from using Morning Sun. "Are you really gonna go swimming?"

"Well why not? I at least remembered to bring my bag along with a swimsuit." Ash taunted, pointing to his backpack.

"Whatever." Was Stephen's only reply, closing his eyes to relax, letting his thoughts drift. _"Dawn and May sure seemed like they've grown up since the last time we've last seen them. I wonder if their personalities are the same. I couldn't tell just over dinner, since Typhlosion decided to bug me._ Stephen chuckled to himself at the thought _"The guy probably knows just as well as I do that I missed Dawn while we were training. I watched her contests any time I could when we'd rest at a Pokemon Center. I'm proud of you Dawn." _ With that final thought in mind, Stephen drifted off to sleep.

Dawn was sitting on top of a grassy hill, the sun setting, and the breeze gently blowing her silky blue hair behind her. She heard someone approaching from behind her, but didn't bother to turn since she already knew who it was. Stephen sat down to her left and watched the sun set with her. After sitting there for a few minutes, he finally broke the silence.

"You know, I never forgot about you after we split up in Sinnoh… right?" Stephen asked, turning his head slightly to look at Dawn.

"I know." She replied, the faintest blush beginning to show in her cheeks "I missed you too after we all went our separate ways. Did you ever see any of my contests?" she concluded, turning her head to look at Stephen.

"Of course I did. I may not always have seen on T.V. live, but I tried my hardest to catch up on what you were doing. I'm proud of you Dawn." Stephen concluded with a smile. Dawn barely contained a shriek after noticing something about Stephen. His eyes had turned purple after that last sentence. Apparently, she didn't contain it enough as Stephen got a concerned look on his face.

"Is everything alright? You look as if you've seen a ghost." Stephen asked.

"I..uh..wh-why are your eyes purple like that?" Dawn stammered.

"My what?" Stephen jumped back a little, rising to his feet and panic setting in on his features. "I need to go... NOW!" He concluded, turning to run from the hill.

"Stephen wait!" Dawn called, raising her hand to try to stop him, but was too late. The sun set and everything got dark. "Don't leave me again!" Dawn awoke from her dream with a single tear running down her cheek. Wiping it away, she rose and looked at the clock.

"8:30?" She half-mumbled to herself, still shaken from her nightmare "Time to get up I suppose."

Meanwhile, by the pond on Route 1, Stephen woke up at the same time with a sudden jolt and sat straight up.

"_I can enter people's dream too?" _He thought to himself, clutching his pounding head with his trembling hands _"What in the name of Arceus is happening to me? This has never happened before. And Dawn… she saw my eyes. She's going to think I'm some sort of freak now." _Stephen concluded glumly.

Seeing his friend's sudden movements, Ash swam over to the edge of the pond that Stephen had been sleeping by.

"Hey, you alright? You look pretty shaken up." Ash asked, concern evident on his face

"I….I'm not sure. I think my power is changing." Stephen started "You know how I can talk mentally with my Pokemon?" Ash nodded "And I can tell where to plant flowers or berries, how to care for them, and basically grow a garden singlehandedly?" Another nod "Well I can apparently enter dreams too." Stephen finished

"What made you come up with that idea?" Ash inquired, getting out of the pond and sitting beside his near-brother.

"I was just in Dawn's dream." Stephen replied.

"What happened though? It seems to have really shaken you up." Ash asked, placing a comforting hand on Stephen's shoulder.

"She saw my eyes." was all Stephen could reply. Ash nodded in understanding. Stephen's violet eyes could unnerve many people not used to seeing them. They had been chased out of a few villages by people afraid of what they meant. The two hadn't been able to piece together why.

"Don't worry man." Ash gave his friend a reassuring smile "If she asks you about it, just tell her the truth. I'm sure she'll understand. She IS our friend after all." Stephen nodded glumly, thinking.

"_He does have a point. But, what exactly am I supposed to tell her? Hi I'm Stephen and I have purple freakin' eyes?! Oh, but they're not always purple, only sometimes." _

"Come on" Ash started, rising from the ground and breaking Stephen's trance "It's almost 9 and we need to head back home.

"Right behind ya." Stephen replied, also rising. "Come on Espeon!"

"_Espeon?" _Espeon asked, sensing unease coming from its trainer.

"I'm fine Espeon, just a little shaken up." Stephen replied "Come on, it's time to head back."

The two trainers and Espeon then made their way back to Ash's house, worry on Stephen's face the whole way there.

**Meanwhile…**

"May" Dawn whispered, shaking the brunette slightly "May wake up."

"No mom I don't wanna clean the Gym." May muttered, rolling over in her sleep.

"MAY!" Dawn shouted, waking May with a jump.

Wiping her eyes, May could only mumble "Dawn, don't do that. You scared me half to death."

"I know I know and I'm sorry, I'm just a little worked up." Dawn replied, sitting on the bed next to May.

"Why what happened? Did you have a nightmare?" May asked, with concern showing in her sapphire eyes.

"I dreamed about Stephen." Dawn started, getting a mischievous smile from May.

"Oh come on is that all? I dream about Ash all the time and you don't see me-…" She trailed off, realizing what she had just said. Now it was Dawn's turn to smile. Her smile got even wider when she saw May's fierce blush that she tried to hide.

"I won't tell if you don't." Dawn quickly reassured her friend of her secret keeping skills. Smiling a little May thanked her and asked her to continue with her story.

"Well, I was sitting on a grassy hill watching a sunset…" Dawn started again

"Awwww, isn't that romantic?" May interrupted, a sparkle in her eyes. This brought a blush from Dawn to match May's from earlier.

"Can I finish please?" Dawn asked in a huff. After May nodded, she continued her story… again. "Well after a few minutes Stephen sat down next to me and we started talking. We talked about what we did when we were separated after Sinnoh, which caught me as odd at first."

"Why would it?" May asked.

"Well think about it like this way. How would my brain even know what Stephen did while I wasn't with him?" Dawn pointed out.

"Hmm… That is a good point." May concluded. "But, that doesn't seem bad enough to shake you up. What happened next?"

"He told me that he had seen all of my contests when he could, and that he was proud of me. Suddenly, his eyes turned purple. He didn't even seem to notice!" Dawn continued

"Well that's nice that he wait did you say purple?" May asked, not believing what he heard

"Yes May… purple! People don't have purple eyes!" Dawn pointed out "Then he got scared and ran off and everything got dark. I was scared."

"Still…" May began "It WAS just a dream right? I don't see why this would shake you up so much. After thinking on her friend's words for a minute, Dawn thought that she had a good point.

"You're right May" Dawn replied, a smile brightening up her face "I must've just eaten too much or something. Thanks for cheering me up." She finished by hugging her brunette friend.

"No problem Dawn." May replied, returning her friend's hug "Now let's go wake the boys up before they decide to sleep the day away." She concluded with a giggle

"Heehee yeah, those two would put a Snorlax to shame." Dawn followed with a giggle of her own. After the two girls had gotten up and picked out their outfits, they both showered and freshened up for the day to come. Once they were dressed, they both stood outside of Ash's room, ready to surprise the boys with a "Good-morning". Sadly, once they opened the door, the only one there was Pikachu, asleep at the foot of Ash's bed.

"_Pi?"_ The little mouse asked, lifting its head once the girls walked in.

"That's _odd_. Where do you think they went?" May asked. Turning to Pikachu, she asked if he knew.

"_Pika!"_ he nodded happily

"Great!" Dawn exclaimed "Can you show us where?"

"_Pikachu Pi." _Pikachu squeaked, pointing to the window that looked outside.

"Outside?" May voiced her thoughts aloud "Did they go outside?"

"_Pikachu!" _ Pikachu confirmed with a nod

"What are they doing out there though?" Dawn asked of the Electric mouse

"_Pika!" _Pikachu said with one finger raised, signaling the girls to watch. Pikachu then started doing push-ups on Ash's bed, quickly switching to crunches. Finally, Pikachu wiped his brow as if having completed a hard workout.

"They went to exercise?!" Both girls nearly hollered at the same time

"Since when did they exercise?" Dawn started

"Yeah those two could put an Ursaring to shame the way they slept in the mornings." May finished her thought

"_Pika Pikachu chupi Pika." _ Pikachu tried telling the two coordinators, causing them to sweat-drop.

"Sorry Pikachu, but Dawn and I can't understand you as well as Ash does." May apologized. "Anyways, we should go have some breakfast and maybe Delia can tell us some more."

"Right." Dawn replied with a nod. The two left the room with Pikachu on May's shoulder and went downstairs to the kitchen, where Mrs. Ketchum was making some pancakes for the girls, having heard them wake up.

"Good morning girls~" Mrs. Ketchum sang when the girls sat down at the table. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes we did. Thanks again Delia for letting us stay for the night." May thanked Ash's mother.

"Oh it was no problem at all May. Any friend of Ash is more than welcome to stay here." The mother replied

"Oh hey… Delia?" Dawn began "Do you know where Stephen and Ash went? They're not in their room upstairs and Pikachu told us that they went out to exercise." At this point Pikachu was eating a muffin on the table.

"Well girls, as much as I didn't believe it myself, Pikachu is right. I saw them leave this morning. They did say they'd be back by 9 though, so they should be back soon." Delia said as she flipped pancakes. The two girls still couldn't believe it, but decided to wait until the boys returned to ask them. At about 9:10, as Delia was giving the girls their pancakes, the door opened and both Ash and Stephen walked in, with Stephen's Espeon following close behind.

"Mom we're back!" Ash called as he set his backpack down by the door.

"Sorry we're a little late." Stephen added

"Oh it's no trouble boys. You're not too late so I'll let it slide." Delia replied with a smile. It was then that the two boys noticed the girls sitting at the table… staring at them.

"What?" Ash asked, looking down at his shirt to see if it had something on it. May just looked at Ash to see if really was him. Much to her delight, the muscular young man was Ash. She sighed mentally and kept staring a little at his chest. Dawn was mostly focusing on Stephen's eyes, making sure that they were indeed their regular blue. Her gaze then fell to the sword on his hip.

"Stephen!" she gasped "When on Earth did you get a sword?" This caused Stephen to wince. He looked to Ash, who nodded and mouthed something. Stephen caught it as "_Don't tell her everything"_ With a return nod; he turned to Dawn to explain himself.

"It's a gift that I got for some…um….'services' that I did while out training." Stephen lied. He didn't like lying, and it mentally hurt him to lie to anyone, especially Dawn. "Did you uh… wanna see it?" He then asked, trying to change the subject. Both girls turned to each other, wondering what the blade would look like.

"Sure, why not?" May finally replied only to be interrupted by a loud "A-HEM" from Delia.

"Stephen, you can show them your…sword" She seemed to almost spit out the word sword "but I will not have a weapon drawn in this house do you understand me?" She finished with her hands on her hips, realizing that she sounded a little harsher than she had meant to. Stephen only inclined his head and said

"As you wish Mrs. Ketchum."

"And you know you don't have to call me that sweetie." She replied, trying to make up for her earlier harsh words.

"I know." Stephen replied, head still bowed. Both girls wondered what Delia had meant by that, but quickly shrugged it off after Dawn spoke.

"So since when did you two start exercising?" Dawn started with a giggle "From what I remember Pikachu and Espeon would have to wake you two up with attacks nearly every morning." Both trainers then smiled and rubbed the backs of their heads in embarrassment, remembering all too well how they used to sleep.

"Well when we left Sinnoh we decided to go into some harsh environments to train our Pokemon." Ash started "But they were soon outpacing us so Stephen and I decided to train along with them, so we exercise early in the morning to stay in shape." Both girls responded by looking the two up and down, blushing slightly.

"Hey are you two ok?" Ash asked "Your faces are a little red." Stephen could only mentally face-palm at Ash's density. He was a great guy, but he knew nothing about women. Stephen knew perfectly why they were blushing. It was the same reason they had both been getting a lot of attention from women lately. They were in pretty good shape for only being young adults. Shaking his head, Stephen walked to the table and sat across from Dawn.

"So what did you girls wanna do today now that Ash and I are back?" He asked. This caused the girls to look at each other again. They hadn't really planned on what to do next. Luckily for them, Ash had the answer as he sat next to Stephen at the table.

"Well Stephen and I were going to go visit Brock and Misty again once we got back. You two are free to come along if ya want."

The coordinators both got twinkles in their eyes at the thought of traveling again, even if for only a short time.

"Sure!" Dawn quickly replied

"We'd love to visit them with you two." May also replied, with a wink directed at Ash. Ash, of course, noticed it but didn't pick out the meaning of the gesture. Both Ash and Stephen nodded at the girls and rose to pack some light traveling gear. By now, the girls had finished eating and went to their rooms to pack as well. Later, in their respective rooms, the two mini groups started to discuss their next moves.

"So we're going traveling again now eh?" Stephen commented, packing travel essentials into his shoulder pack.

"Seems like it." Was all Ash had to say as he packed as well

"You think we'll have any more crazy adventures like usual?"

"Nah, what're the odds that something would happen this close to home?"

"Yeah… you're probably right." Once both trainers had finished packing, they went to the front door to wait for the two coordinators to finish with their own packing.

"Oh this'll be so much fun!" Dawn remarked, as she packed her bag with what she would need.

"I know!" May replied "We haven't all traveled together in such a long time! Pluuuussss….." She started with a flirty grin "It'll give us a chance to get to know them better. They've both clearly changed a lot since we last saw them. I mean did you see them? They're ripped!" This last remark brought a blush to Dawn's face as she remembered staring a little at Stephen. She quickly suppressed the blush and resumed packing. After a few minutes the two girls were all set and went downstairs to see the boys waiting.

"You girls all set?" Stephen asked, obviously eager to hit the road again.

"Yup!" They both happily nodded

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ash asked as he threw the door open "Let's go!" And at that the group left the house and out to Route 1. After several minutes of silence and enjoying the familiar scenery, Stephen broke the silence by asking the two girls a question.

"So did you two catch any new Pokemon we should get to meet?"

"Yeah I caught a few!" May replied "Wanna see 'em?"

"Why not?" Stephen replied with a smile

"Come on out everyone!" May called as she tossed her six Pokéballs into the air. After some bursts of white light, May's six Pokemon all appeared and greeted the two familiar trainers. Standing before them were a Glaceon, Blaziken, Venusaur, Blastoise, Luxray, and a Delcatty.

"Wow they all look so strong!" Ash commented, looking over all of May's Pokemon. May blushed a little at his response but quickly regained her composure.

"Thanks Ash. We've all been training really hard. Right guys?" May's Pokemon all cheered after that, showing off their energy.

"Very well raised indeed." Stephen nodded "How about you Dawn? Catch anything new?"

"Sure did!" the blunette replied "Come on out gang!" After the same lights that May's Pokemon entered with, Dawn's Pokemon were all revealed. She had an Empeoleon, a Lopunny, Typhlosion, Mammoswine, Togekiss, and an Eevee.

"Oh wow you have an Eevee?" Stephen exclaimed, remembering well his first Pokemon. Dawn blushed seeing Stephen praise her newest team member.

"Yeah I got her just a few weeks ago. She was actually in a Pokemon Egg that somebody had abandoned."

"ABANDONED?!" Everyone but Dawn asked at once.

"Yeah…" Dawn started "I was walking to Violet City for a Pokemon Contest to be held there when in a bush I saw a light-brown egg there. I couldn't just leave it so I brought it to a Pokemon Center as fast as I could. After Nurse Joy checked the egg, she thanked me for getting it there in time as much longer out in the wild and the egg wouldn't have made it. A few days later, the egg hatched and this little cutie wanted to come with me. Right Eevee?" She finished with a wink at her Eevee

"_Vui!"_ Eevee squeaked with a smile.

"Wow that's a great story Dawn." Ash commented

"Yeah that was awesome how you saved this Eevee's life." Stephen added, making Dawn blush again. After returning their Pokemon, the group got to walking again. After several hours, the sun was setting and the gang decided to set up camp for the night. They were in a clearing in the trees with a lake not too far away.

"Well it's starting to get dark. What do you guys say to setting up camp?" Ash asked, eying the setting sun

"Sure, I don't feel much like wandering in the dark." May replied

"O.K. Then, I'll gather some food, Ash you set up camp" Ash nodded "Dawn can you get some firewood please?" Dawn nodded "And May can you get some water from the pond just through those trees?" Stephen asked, pointing to some trees behind May.

"No problem." May proudly stated, grabbing a bucket and trudging off to get the water. Stephen nodded and ran into the forest to find food.

"Hey Ash?" Dawn asked once Stephen was out of sight "Won't Stephen get lost out in the woods at night?" Chuckling to himself, Ash replied

"No, I don't think you have to worry about Stephen. He knows his way around forests."

"_Must've been from all of their training they did." _Dawn convinced herself. Meanwhile, Stephen was making a bee-line to an Oran berry tree, his eyes a deep violet.

"_Finally!" _Stephen thought to himself as he picked some fruits _"I could sense these from a mile away… but I just couldn't let Dawn see me with these eyes. How on Earth did I even get these cursed things? Never mind that now I suppose… I have food to gather!" _Stephen concluded, running from tree to tree picking all sorts of different berries. After a time the group had all done their part to set up camp. The tents were up, a warm fire going, and water boiling in a kettle above it. Ash, May and Dawn were all sitting on sideways logs talking when a rustle was heard in a bush not too far away. Only Dawn had noticed, and she nearly screamed. She saw what looked like two purple eyes for a moment, before they vanished again.

"_What were those?" _ She wondered

"_Geez… I nearly messed up there." _Stephen thought while hidden behind a tree. After taking some deep breaths, his eyes returned to their deep blue color. He then stepped out from behind the tree with his arms full of all sorts of berries. Dawn noticed where he came from and looked at him for a second before eying the berries he held. Stephen brought the berries over to the kettle and began chopping them into decently sized chunks.

"You guys can cook too?" She asked, not quite believing this on top of their exercise routine

"Well… yeah." Stephen responded, as if it was supposed to be obvious

Dawn and May still gave each other sideways glances.

"So…uh… what exactly are you making? May asked, breaking the silence

"Berry soup." Ash stated while stirring the soup mixture "It's one of our favorite dishes because it tastes different each time we make it! Stephen also always seems to find the best berries."

"Oh come on. You're the one cooking them." Stephen replied, smiling sheepishly

"Well it certainly smells good." Dawn pointed out, sniffing the aroma from the kettle

"Thanks!" Ash said "It should be done in about 15 minutes… so Stephen should have enough time to gather the last few ingredients. Right Stephen?" Ash looked at his friend as he asked

"Yeah just give me a minute or two and I'll see if I can find some herbs." Stephen replied, dashing off into the woods again. Once he was out of sight, his eyes once again turned their shade of purple. Stephen looked around but found few traces of good tasting herbs. Fortunately, there was something off in the distance, so he went straight for it. Meanwhile, Dawn was looking at the spot where Stephen last vanished, thinking.

"_Was that purple glow Stephen?" _Dawn wondered, remembering her dream. Sadly, May soon interrupted her train of thought.

"Dawn you don't need to worry about Stephen so much. He came back with all the berries didn't he?" May teased Dawn, causing her to blush slightly.

"I just think maybe we could use a little more firewood." Dawn lied, rising and dashing into the woods where Stephen vanished.

"Wonder what's gotten into her…" Both Ash and May thought out loud. Meanwhile, Stephen had found only a little bit of a plant called Gernroot, an herb commonly used as a replacement for salt due to its flavor.

"_Well… it'll have to do." Stephen thought to himself glumly." Now to get back to camp." _Stephen concluded as he rose and turned to camp, his eyes still purple. As he got closer to camp however, Stephen felt something off. _"Did someone follow me? I feel this sense in the back of my mind that—" _Unfortunately, Stephen's thought was cut short as he walked right into Dawn, purple eyes and all.

"DAWN?!" Stephen shouted, nearly dropping the Gernroot. Dawn stumbled a little before falling backwards and landing on her back. "Why did you follow me?"

"Y-Y-you- " Dawn stammered, staring right at Stephen's eyes. "What's wrong with your eyes?" She finally finished, sitting up. Stephen just looked down, unable to say anything. This was the last way he had wanted Dawn to see him. "Stephen?" Dawn asked again.

"Dawn… I don't know when, and I don't know why…" Stephen started, only pausing to think on how to explain himself "Sometimes… my eyes turn purple. Whenever I'm looking for certain plants, or talking to my Pokemon, or sometimes just randomly. Again… I don't know why it happens." Looking into Dawn's Sapphire eyes with a look of utter sadness he added "Please don't think I'm a freak."

"_When he looks for plants... talks to his Pokemon…wait… talking to his Pokemon? … is there anything else he can do?" _Dawn's mind raced, trying to get a grip on what Stephen was explaining.

"Dawn?" Stephen asked again, expecting the worst. Dawn simply rose and gave the brunette trainer a smile.

"No need to worry Stephen. If it's just how you are, then I have no problem with it." Dawn replied, trying to sound unbothered by the violet eyes staring back at her. As soon as she was finished talking, Stephen's face showed relief and he smiled back.

"Thanks Dawn… you have no idea how much that means to me." Stephen replied, remembering being chased from villages from angry hordes of people.

"Can I ask you something though?" Dawn piped in, making Stephen flinch a little. "Do you have any other…uh… abilities?" Exhaling, Stephen thought for a minute.

"I'll tell you all about it during dinner. If I'm gonna tell you about myself… might as well tell May too. I don't like having to explain myself twice. Besides, dinner won't quite taste the same without this." Stephen concluded holding up the Gernroot. "Come on, they're probably waiting for us."

"Oh uh… ok." Dawn finished, following Stephen back to camp. It was silent walking back to camp, Stephen's mind racing about how to explain his powers, and Dawn wondering what it was Stephen even was. Was he human? Could he fly? Could he even change shape? She had no idea. Soon enough, the pair arrived at camp, drawing the eyes of Ash and May sitting around the fire. They seemed to be having a good time; May laughing at what Stephen could only conclude was one of Ash's jokes. The two turned to face the returning pair only to have May let out a shriek.

"What's up with Stephen's eyes!? Is he sick?" She asked while pointing at Stephen, who could only look down at his chest felt ready to collapse with the memories. Suddenly, Dawn latched onto his left arm and took hold of it, seemingly trying to comfort him.

"_What is she doing?" _Stephen could only think to himself _"Also, what is this feeling in my chest? I was really hurt by May's question, but somehow Dawn made it go away. Is she magical or something?"_

"No May, Stephen isn't sick. He'll tell us all about it during dinner." Dawn said, a little more defensively than she intended. Stephen only looked over at Ash, who simply nodded, and went back to stirring the soup.

"Um… Dawn?" Stephen mumbled to the blunette, who was still clinging to his arm "You can let go of me now. I need to bring this herb to Ash." Dawn seemed to almost snap out of a trance, and quickly let go of Stephen's arm, her face a deep shade of red. Stephen paused for a moment, slightly missing the feeling of her being so close, but shrugged it off and walked over to Ash.

"It isn't much, but I was able to find some Gernroot."

"Well it'll make the soup taste a bit better at least." Ash replied. After taking the Gernroot and chopping it up, Ash put the pieces into the soup and kept stirring. Finally he spoke in a hush, so only Stephen could hear.

"How did Dawn see you with your eyes?"

"I don't know, I've been trying to make them go away ever since we came back to camp… but I'm too worked up. They won't turn blue again." Stephen replied glumly

"And you think it's really the right time to tell them about you?" Ash inquired, concerned at the outcome

"Honestly… I don't know. But I did notice something." Stephen began "You remember earlier today how I was apparently in Dawn's dream?" Ash nodded "Well nothing like that ever happened before yesterday, when we met them again." Stephen said, gesturing to the two coordinators, both lost in conversation "I think the two events are somehow connected."

"Maybe" Ash began "But still, you know what your eyes have brought us, especially you."

"I don't need a reminder…"

"Anyways… I just hope you know what you're doing." Ash concluded, placing a hand on Stephen's shoulder "But come on, we can at least eat for now. Smiling, Stephen went to grab some silverware for everyone as Ash lifted the kettle form the fire. After everyone had some soup; Ash and Stephen began to dig in, with May and Dawn looking a little apprehensive.

"Are you guys sure that we can eat this?" May asked

"We're eating it right now aren't we?" Ash replied, raising his spoon to his mouth. The girls took one final look at their soup, and each took a cautious sip, only to acquire twinkles in their eyes.

"Oh wow this is amazing!" Dawn nearly shouted "The berries are excellent Stephen!" Stephen could only grin as everyone gave him an approving look, but then as everyone fell silent, he knew why they were still looking at him.

"Well… I think I've kept you guys in the dark long enough. You want to know about my eyes… right?" Stephen asked, as the two girls nodded. "Well… I don't know where to really start, so I'll just tell you what I know of this... ability of mine. I don't know how I do it exactly, but if I concentrate… I can see things."

"What do you mean by… things?" Dawn asked

"Well you two were probably wondering how I found all of these berries in such a dense forest right?" Stephen began, waiting for nods before proceeding "Well when I made it a few layers into the woods, I simply close my eyes and concentrate. Then I can see some sort of… trail… leading me to what I'm looking for. **(A.N. Kind of like the golden trail in the Fable games, except it's purple, if you want a mental picture… I don't own Fable either.) **

"And this trail just leads you to what you're looking for?" May pondered aloud "How does it know what you're looking for though?"

"I'm not sure myself." Stephen replied "I just kinda think about what berries would taste good, then the trail leads me right to a tree."

"Wow that's useful." Dawn pointed out, making Stephen smile a little

"Yeah it has its uses. But that's not the only thing I can do." The brunette trainer continued "I can also talk to Pokemon."

"But can't Ash do that to Pikachu too?" May questioned

"Yeah but for me it's different." Stephen corrected her "I can talk to Pokemon that I've never even met before."

"But we know somebody like that too!" May retaliated "Remember Anabel from the Battle Frontier? She could talk to her Pokemon and even helped that Gyarados when it was injured." May had a good point, she seemed to have a similar ability to Stephen when it came to talking to Pokemon… but there was one more thing. After staying quiet for a minute, Stephen looked at Dawn and asked her

"Dawn… do you remember what it was you dreamed last night?" Dawn simply stared back at him for a few seconds from shock. How did he know about that dream…unless… "You're probably asking yourself how I know about that dream." Stephen interrupted her thoughts "Well the simple fact is, I was there."

"Wait… so you can enter people's dreams too?" May asked in disbelief "How often do you do that?"

"It just happened to me for the first time today." Was Stephen's simple reply "I've never had it happen before."

"_Why would he suddenly enter my dream then… if it has never happened before?" _Dawn thought to herself _"Also, why MY dream? I mean both May and I were asleep, so why mine?" _

"Is that it or is there more to this ability of yours?" May inquired of the caped trainer.

"No that about covers what I know of it so far." Stephen replied "But since I seemed to have gotten that… dream walking ability today I think maybe I'll gain more powers in the future."

"Hold on a minute." Dawn broke her silence "These abilities of yours are neat and all… but why did you feel that you had to hide them from us? I mean yeah they're different but not too odd. Did you not trust us or something?" That last question was like a dagger in Stephen's chest, making him look down in shame.

"There's more to it than that." Stephen replied, looking up again with tears in his eyes "These damn eyes have nearly killed me!" Dawn and May both gasped in horror, while Ash looked at the fire… remembering.

It was late at night when both Stephen and himself had walked into a village. They were talking to some townsfolk at the local Pokemon Center to ask if they could rent a room for the night. Stephen was in the corner, petting Espeon when his eyes suddenly turned purple. The Nurse Joy happened to notice this and screamed, pointing at Stephen.

"_It's the eyes of the end!" _She yelled at the top of her lungs. Other people in the Center turned to look where she was pointing, only to join her scream at the boy with the Espeon.

"_Someone call the police!" _A man had shouted

"_Forget the police! Someone grab that kid before he kills us all!" _Another man shouted, this call being taken up by the rest of the Center. Stephen had no idea what was going on, but his instincts told him to run; and run he did. Running into a nearby marsh, Stephen climbed a tree hoping to evade his pursuers. He had hid there all night, shivering from both fear and the cold. Why were those people so afraid of him? Furthermore, why were they afraid that they wanted to kill him? Did he look like some villain from an ancient prophecy of something? He didn't know and he didn't care. Ash found him in the tree after the commotion in the village died down, thinking they drove the violet eyed boy away. Stephen's eyes had returned to their usual blue by this time, but he still refused to enter the city and instead gave Ash his Pokéballs to have healed by the Nurse.

Stephen had been also explaining this whole memory to the two girls, while they listened with an ever-increasing amount of tears.

"How could those people do that to you?!" Dawn demanded, wiping her eyes.

"I don't know." Stephen replied, his voice almost devoid of emotion "They seemed to think I was some kind of destroyer or something, based on what they were shouting about. But since then, I have to be careful about using my ability in public. That's why I didn't want to show either of you. I was afraid that you'd react the same way. I'm so sorry that I didn't trust you. Stephen concluded, his head drooping again

"Well there's no need to worry Stephen." Dawn reassured him "It's only natural with the kind of experience you had. I do have a couple of questions though." This made Stephen raise his head, wondering what she could ask "Can you talk to people with your powers too?"

Thinking for a second, Stephen shook his head. "Not that I know of."

"Oh" Dawn now looked down, but then remembered her other question "But… there was also the time you were in my dream. Your eyes turned purple then too but you weren't using any abilities. You were just talking to me about my contests." The blunette coordinator pointed out. This made Stephen think

"_By Arceus she's right! I never noticed that before. I wonder what that could mean" Stephen pondered the thought_

"I'm not too sure Dawn."

"Oh, well I'm sure you'll figure it out." She replied with a reassuring smile. Replying with a weak smile of his own, Stephen finally rose to gather the bowls and clean them before the gang decided to go to sleep. After doing dishes for a few minutes, everyone was getting situated in their tents ready to fall asleep.

"Goodnight everyone!~" Dawn called from inside her tent

"Night Dawn!" everyone replied. A silence soon fell on the camp as everyone took to sleep one by one. However, Stephen's mind was still racing from today's events.

"_That… was actually easier than I thought it'd be. I thought Dawn and May would think me a freak like everyone else. I guess I can trust them with more than I thought." _Stephen concluded his thoughts. Smiling to himself, Stephen eventually drifted off to sleep.

However, his dreams were anything but sweet. He was in a village at night. There was fire everywhere and shouts of angry people.

"_Find the demon kid!" a woman shouted_

"_Kill him before destroys our families!" A man shouted_

Stephen was hidden inside of a small shack, crying. He was younger this time, only about 15 or so. He was also afraid. These people saw his eyes, and they now wanted his blood. Suddenly, a shout was heard from the doorway leading of the shack

"_Hey! The Monster is in here!" a gruff voice called for reinforcements_

Looking up, Stephen saw a group of angry people, armed with clubs, pitchforks, and even small knives. They were staring at him with intent to kill, and Stephen had nowhere else to run.

"_Leave me alone!" Stephen shouted "I just want to go home!"_

"_There is no home for you, monster!" a child spat at him_

**Meanwhile…**

Dawn woke up from her sleep, desperately needing a drink of water. She climbed out of her tent with a cup heading towards the lake to get a little water when she heard what almost sounded like whimpering from Stephen's tent. Peeking inside she saw the young man tossing and turning in his sleep, suffering from a horrid nightmare. Not knowing quite what to do, she knelt down by Stephen, concern clearly shown in her eyes. Dawn then did something she didn't even expect of herself, she leaned over and kissed Stephen's forehead and whispered

"_Sweet dreams Stephen. I'm here for you."_ After hearing this, Stephen's movements ceased and his breathing returned to normal. Blushing at her actions, but also happy to help Stephen, Dawn rose to get a drink of water.

**In the Dream…**

A man in the group was raising his pitchfork, aiming it at Stephen's chest. Submitting to his fate, Stephen simply closed his eyes, awaiting the end. Then he heard a voice.

"_Sweet dreams Stephen. I'm here for you." _

Opening his eyes, Stephen looked around to see that he was somewhere else. He was in a forest clearing, with a river running through and the atmosphere pleasant. He was safe.

"_Thank you Dawn." _Stephen thought to himself. Leaning back, Stephen finally cracked a genuine smile. He was at peace.

**And there you have it folks. Chapter 2 of May a New Dawn Rise! Stephen's odd power is explained in detail! The boy's training regime is explained and more details are crunched out about our group. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. It did turn out a little longer than I expected but that's how the cookie crumbles I suppose. Rate and Review with your thoughts and I hope to see you all next time in Chapter 3 of May a New Dawn Rise. This is Flamewing… signing out.**


	3. Chapter 3: Proper Introductions

May a New Day Dawn Chapter 3

**Well I'd like to begin by thanking everyone who has read my story so far. I'm only up to chapter 3 now but so far about 500 people have viewed it. I never expected even anyone to read it until chapter 5 or so. So… thanks again guys. Also, I know my OC may seem to have a pretty gruesome past but it explains a lot of his behavior… trust me. Also, I may be guilty of focusing more attention to my character than the rest of the gang. I'll admit I probably will continue to do that but I'll try my darnest to include everyone too. So… without further ado… onto the next chapter!**

_Chapter 3. Proper introductions_

It was about 7 in the morning when the first member of our happy camp finally stirred from their slumber. After poking out to reveal his raven colored hair, Ash climbed out of his tent and began walking over to the lake. Passing by Stephen's tent, Ash paused for a moment, but then decided to let him sleep. The poor guy just basically told his best friends about his closest secret, so he deserved to sleep in. Ash then remembered he was still in his pajamas, so he went back to his tent and got dressed and then went over by the lake to start meditating. Sitting down cross-legged, Ash closed his eyes and began to channel his Aura. The same as yesterday, he slowly had a cloak of blue aura around him as his focus increased. Opening his eyes, Ash scanned the area. He could see two of his friends asleep in their tents. A moment of panic set in as he looked again at Stephen's tent, only for him to calm down as he remembered.

"_I keep forgetting." _Ash thought to himself _"Stephen has no Aura so I can't see him like this. Still… we've never figured out why he doesn't have any … I mean since everything has Aura, Stephen should too. I wonder if it has to do with his power in some way."_ Ash then shook his head to re-clear his mind as he was losing focus on these thoughts, and he resumed searching the area with his Aura.

Looking out further, Ash could see scattered groups of Pidgey and Spearow, shaking the last of their sleep off before starting their days. Looking out even further, Ash could see that someone was approaching the camp. They appeared to be a Pokemon Trainer as well, from the look of them. They seemed pretty confident too, indicating strength. Ash cracked a smile, already planning on how to handle the newcomer.

Releasing his flow of Aura, Ash stood up to go wake everyone else up.

"Hey come on Stephen, wake up." Ash said while nudging his friend awake. Stephen's eyes snapped open and he sat up. "Ya awake?"

"Yeah I'm up now. Stupid training, I'm never gonna be able to enjoy that half-awake feeling again!" Stephen joked. Chuckling to himself, Ash left Stephen's tent to go wake the girls up. Ash made note that Stephen's eyes were blue again, so he seemed to have calmed down from the events last night.

Stephen quickly dressed himself, strapped his sword to his belt, his cape to his back and left his tent as well. Ash had just woken May and Dawn up and the two were just leaving their tents as well, wiping the sleep from their eyes. Stephen decided to do a few stretches to warm himself up for some more swordplay with Espeon's phantom. Dawn noticed that Stephen had looked quite well-rested but decided to check for herself.

"Morning Stephen!" she called with a wave "Sleep well?" Stephen stopped his current stretch and waved back.

"Yeah actually." He replied "I remember dreaming about something but I can't for the life of me remember what it was." Dawn giggled a little, remembering her actions last night.

"Oh well, I'm sure you'll remember eventually."

"Yeah… maybe." Stephen muttered, unsure if he would or not. Shrugging to himself, Stephen grabbed Espeon's Pokéball and walked towards the lake to get some practice.

"Hay Ash?" May started, watching Stephen leave "Where's Stephen going?"

Looking up, Ash indeed saw Stephen walking over by the lake with a Pokéball in his hand. "Oh he's going to get some sword practice." Ash replied

"Sword practice?" May responded "But he doesn't have any Pokemon with blades."

"You'll see what I mean." was all Ash would say back to her. All three of them were watching Stephen approach the lake until he stopped and let Espeon out.

"_Espeon!"_ the Sun Pokemon cheered, awaiting its trainer's orders.

"Ok Espeon" Stephen started, kneeling down to look Espeon in the eyes "I know we just practiced our swordplay yesterday but I want to get one more day in if that's ok with you."

"_Espi!"_ The Pokemon replied, nodding its head

"Thanks buddy." Stephen smiled. Rising, Stephen put a little distance between himself and Espeon. Drawing his sword and getting into a battle stance, Stephen closed his eyes and imagined the flame again. While Stephen was putting all of his emotions into the purple flame, Espeon was busy making the phantom and the other three members of the group were all watching with anticipation. After a few seconds, Stephen opened his eyes to reveal they were violet again and entirely focused on the opponent in front of him.

"Hey Ash?" Dawn piped in "Why are Stephen's eyes purple again? He isn't using one of his powers is he?"

"No Dawn he isn't. That was a calming exercise we learned from our years of training. He's just really focused now." Ash replied "I'll let him tell you more about if he feels the need." Dawn nodded and turned her gaze to watch the sword fight between the trainer and his phantom.

"Ready Espeon?" Stephen called out. The phantom nodded in response and drew its ghostly replica of Stephen's sword, _Caesar_. "Then let us begin!" Both warriors dashed at each other with swords raised. The sound of steel hitting steel rang throughout the forest. Both swordsmen traded blow after blow, with a shower of sparks flying each and every time their swords met. When one would gain an edge over the other, suddenly the tide would turn, and the hunter became the hunted. After about 15 minutes, the fight was still at a standstill. Pokemon and trainer alike were exhausted, but determined to finish the battle. Finally, the ghostly figure raised its sword above its head for an overhead strike. Stephen caught this and juked to the side, in a crouched stance. Using his foot, he tripped the phantom and while it was on the ground, stabbed it through the stomach. The phantom then phased out of existence as Espeon released its energy and sat down, drained from the mock fight.

"Great fight Espeon!" The violet eyed trainer called to his loyal partner. "I guess I learned a bit form our fight yesterday and caught you off guard eh?"

"_Espeon peon!" _ The Sun Pokemon happily cheered. He was happy to see his trainer improve so much in so little time. Suddenly, the two swordfighters heard clapping as they saw Dawn and May rise from the bush they were hiding behind. Turning to see the two girls clapping at his display, Stephen could only laugh nervously and rub the back of his head.

"Well I didn't realize I was performing for an audience today!" Stephen said to the two girls.

"Stephen that was amazing!" Dawn called, running up to him with May "Where on Earth did you learn how to do that?"

"Um… I...uh…." Stephen fumbled, trying to think of a convincing lie. Thankfully, Ash came to the rescue.

"He picked it up in a town we traveled through." Ash said, walking up behind the two coordinators "He saw some people there and decided to try it out. He's pretty good for only having the sword for a few years." The last sentence caused Stephen to beam, glad of his friend's praise.

"So did you get the sword there too?" May asked Stephen

"Yeah I did. It used to belong to…someone special to me." Stephen finished that last part in a mumble

"Whose sword was it?" The brunette coordinator wondered

"It belonged to my uh…. Mentor." Stephen lied. Thankfully, the two girls didn't seem to notice the guilt in his voice. They were too busy looking at the blade in his hand. "You want a closer look at Caesar?"

"Who's Caesar?" Dawn asked, not recognizing the name

"Oh uh…" Stephen began, mentally hitting himself for using the name of his weapon "That's what I call my sword."

"Why?"

"Well the sword was given that name by my… mentor. So I just continue to use it." Stephen told the blunette. "But here, take a closer look at it." He said, holding the blade up for the girls to see. It was very well made, and it shone in the morning sun that crept through the treetops.

"Why is one edge of it flat though?" May asked, noticing the blunt side

"Well that's the side I use when I don't want to kill anybody." Stephen replied, making both girls gasp in unison

"STEPHEN!" Dawn shouted at him "you haven't killed anyone have you?"

"Have I kil—NO!" Stephen replied, raising his other hand in a defensive gesture "I haven't used it to kill people!" Both girls glared at him until they happened to notice that his eyes had yet to return to blue again.

"Hey Stephen?" Dawn chimed in "Did you notice that your eyes turned purple during your fight with that… ghost that Espeon made? In fact, they still are purple!"

"They did?!" Stephen replied, shock on his face. Followed shortly by "and they are?!"

"So you didn't notice?"

"No."

This realization made everyone stop for a second to think. Why would Stephen's eyes turn purple during a swordfight if he wasn't using his power? And why wouldn't he notice it? Was there something else going on that they didn't understand yet? Not wanting a repeat of last night, Stephen broke the silence;

"Well whatever the case, shouldn't we have some breakfast? I would like to get to Vermilion City before nightfall. Besides, my eyes will turn blue again once I've calmed down."

"Sure!" May replied, loving the chance for more of the trainer's cooking "What do you plan on making today Mr. Chef?"

Chuckling at her comment, Stephen took the lead as the group walked back to camp. "I was planning on making some eggs… unless you guys want something else that is."

"No, eggs sound just fine to me!" Dawn gave her opinion. After reaching camp, Stephen grabbed his frying pan and some eggs out of his pack and started a fire. While the other three talked around the fire, Stephen began frying the eggs for some breakfast. While they were cooking, his violet eyes slowly returned to their usual Sapphire Blue color. After a short time, everyone had some eggs and they were happily eating away. Suddenly, a trainer appeared on the edge of camp, with a confident smirk on his face. He looked to be about 15, had a plain yellow T-shirt on, blue shorts, and an orange baseball cap. His eyes were green, and he was about 5.5 feet tall. He eyed the group while they ate, and tried to judge their strength from appearance. His gaze rested on Ash, and he felt the fire of battle start in his chest.

"Hey, you with the black hair!" The kid shouted. The group looked at the newcomer with interest, wondering what he could possibly want. "I challenge you to a battle!"

"And I accept!" Ash replied, standing up immediately "You ready Pikachu?" he asked the Pokemon on his shoulder.

"_Pi Pikachu!" _he squeaked back, eager for a good battle

"Let's find a decent spot for this then." The kid replied "I don't want any obstacles in our match

"Sounds good to me."

After the two trainers walked a short distance to where there was a clearing in the trees, they both took up positions on opposite ends of their battlefield. Stephen and the two coordinators were sitting on the sidelines, eager for what looked to be an intense battle coming up.

"So what kind of restrictions do you want for this battle then?" Ash asked, already planning his battle strategies

"Let's just do a one-on-one, my best vs. your best!" the kid replied

"Sounds like a plan! Pikachu I choose you!" Ash called, as Pikachu leapt into the field, ready for combat

"A Pikachu huh? Should be a piece of cake." The boy stated with a smirk "Nidoking, time for battle!"

After tossing his Pokéball, the kid's Nidoking appeared on the field, but it was a bit bigger than most. About 5 feet tall itself, it glared at Pikachu, expecting something more challenging than a mouse.

"I'll let you have the first move!" The kid called out to Ash

"Ok! Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Pikachu responded by dashing at its opponent, leaving a white trail behind it.

"Nidoking! Squash the mouse with Strength!" After waiting for Pikachu to get close, Nidoking raised its mighty fist and prepared to smash its opponent. Once Pikachu was in range, Nidoking smashed its fist right into Pikachu.

**Smash!**

Nidoking smirked, believing that Pikachu had been pummeled into the dirt by its attack. However, upon raising its fist, Pikachu was nowhere to be seen and complete bewilderment was obvious on Nidoking's face.

"It's on your shoulder Nidoking!" the kid called to his dumbfounded Pokemon. Nidoking turned its head to the left and noticed Pikachu perched there, unharmed.

"Iron Tail Pikachu!" Responding to his trainer's orders, Pikachu turned its tail a metallic color and quickly spun around, smacking Nidoking in the face. Nidoking stumbled about 5 steps before recovering, and shot Pikachu a glare, its jaw still aching from the attack.

"_How on earth is that rat so strong?"_ The kid thought to himself "Nidoking use Horn Attack!" Nidoking responded by snorting out some smoke from its nose, and charged right at Pikachu, its mighty horn glowing white with power.

"Dodge it with Agility!" Ash called. Right as Nidoking was about to make contact with Pikachu, the mouse seemed to just… vanish. Nidoking stopped itself by digging in its heels and looking around, wondering where its opponent ran off to.

"Your shoulder again you big lug!" the kid shouted at his Pokemon. Nidoking turned its head again only to see Pikachu already prepared for its Iron Tail to the face attack again. Sure enough, with another smack Nidoking stumbled back about 7 steps this time, already showing signs of fatigue. Grinding his teeth, the challenger was quickly getting frustrated that his prize Pokemon was being humiliated by a little mouse.

"Wow Pikachu has gotten really strong!" May pointed out, completely caught up in the battle before her

"Well naturally." Stephen began "Ash focused on Pikachu's speed since he refuses to evolve into a Raichu. His strategy is to wear his opponent down by dodging them a bunch. Then they either make a stupid mistake or are too tired to counter attack.

"That's a pretty good idea." May replied "Ash must've really trained Pikachu a lot to make it so fast." Stephen laughed at her comment.

"Well we WERE gone for three years." Stephen pointed out matter-of-factly. Suddenly he felt an attention-grabbing punch on his left shoulder and saw Dawn glaring at him.

"And you didn't even bother to call or write! Do you guys have any idea how worried we were about you two!?" Dawn nearly hollered at the brunette.

"I know and we're sorry!" Stephen hastily replied, raising his hands in a defensive gesture "We were pretty caught up in the training and other… events… that we never had time to call anyone." Dawn simply turned away with a "humpf" telling Stephen that she forgave him, but barely. Sighing to himself, Stephen returned his gaze back to the battle. Pikachu had been basically running circles around his opponent, and landing hits where he could. Nidoking was quickly tiring out and his trainer was getting more and more frustrated by the minute. Finally, the newcomer couldn't bear it anymore and decided to finish the battle.

"Nidoking use Hyper Beam!" Nidoking began charging energy for the destructive beam it took pride in. Pikachu, however, didn't seem fazed and awaited Ash's command.

"Pikachu, get ready to use Iron Tackle just like we practiced." This command drew astonished gasps from both girls sitting on either side of Stephen

"Iron Tackle?" was all Dawn could get out

"What kind of move is that?" May finished her question

"It's a Fusion Attack that Ash created. Or more simply, two attacks combined into one." Stephen revealed, causing both girls to look at him, confusion evident on their faces. Stephen's eyes never left the battlefield. "You two should be very familiar with combing multiple moves to make one move right? I mean you both do it all the time in contests."

"Well yeah but we usually use one move and then another, not usually two at the same time." May corrected him

"True, but you two did inspire the idea in both Ash and I." Stephen said, a smile growing on his face "And you have no idea how long it took to be able to combine two attacks at once. It takes all of a Pokémon's training and concentration to be able to pull off a Fusion Attack."

"So what moves are Ash using then?" Dawn asked him

"I'll answer that with a question Dawn." Stephen began "Nidoking has two types. What are they?"

"Well… it's a poison and ground type right?"

"Exactly, and Pikachu knows mostly electric attacks. Sadly, Quick Attack won't be strong enough to take down an opponent of that size, so Ash is improvising."

"So again, what two moves are Ash using?" Dawn asked again, irritation starting to show in her voice.

"He's combining Volt Tackle and Iron Tail" Stephen knowingly replied

"Hold on a second!" May piped in, having heard this whole conversation "Dawn just said that Nidoking was a ground type! Volt Tackle is an electric attack so it'll have no effect!" Stephen chuckled a bit after hearing her concerns

"You'll see." Was all he would say. Looking back at the battlefield, Nidoking was nearly finished charging its attack, more than happy to go overboard since Pikachu was just standing there. Suddenly Ash pointed towards the opponent's Nidoking, with a confident twinkle evident in his eye.

"Go Pikachu!" And at that moment, Pikachu began charging its Volt Tackle attack, the golden cloak of electricity forming around it.

"Fire the Hyper Beam Nidoking!" the yellow-shirted kid called out. At its trainers command, Nidoking aimed at the charging mouse, and let loose a giant beam of yellow energy. At that instant, something else was happening to Pikachu. The cloak around it almost seemed to turn…silver. Starting from Pikachu's tail and soon overtaking its whole body, Pikachu's Volt Tackle had definitely turned into a steel type attack. Then the beam and Pikachu collided, and began a power struggle. Neither side was willing to budge an inch, Pikachu trying to push through the beam, Nidoking refusing to lose to a rodent.

"Full power Pikachu! GO!" Ash encouraged his partner.

"_PIIIIIIKAAAAAAAAA!" _Was the reply, as Pikachu released all of its strength and the cloak of silver energy around it doubled in size. Suddenly, Pikachu began, although slowly at first, pushing the beam back towards Nidoking. Quickly gaining speed, Pikachu resumed its Iron Tackle and made contact with Nidoking. After a giant flash of white light and a noisy explosion, a cloud of smoke covered the battlefield. After a minute or two, the smoke cleared, revealing the outcome of the Fusion Attack.

"Nidoking!" the kid replied, seeing his Pokemon down and out, swirls in its eyes. Pikachu was on the other end of the field, panting, but still standing. Stephen broke the silence by standing and raising his right arm, gesturing to Ash.

"Nidoking is unable to battle! Ash and Pikachu are the winners!"

"We did it Pikachu!" Ash called, running towards his partner

"_Pikapi!"_ The electric mouse responded, turning around and leaping into its trainer's arms, squealing with delight over the victory.

"Ash that was incredible!" May called, dashing over to congratulate her friend. Stephen and Dawn were walking up behind her.

"Bold move using Iron Tackle there Ash." Stephen pointed out "Especially considering you hadn't perfected it yet." Ash simply scratched the back of his friend with his free hand, then smiled and looked at his first Pokemon.

"Well yeah but I knew Pikachu would pull through when the time called. Right buddy?"

"_Pikachu!"_ Pikachu proudly boasted, flexing its arms as a sign of strength, causing both girls to giggle. Meanwhile, the trainer who had challenged Ash returned his Nidoking, and looked on the verge of crying.

"I can't believe we lost like that." He said in disbelief "After everything we've gone through. Am I just a bad trainer?" His monologue was suddenly interrupted by a voice

"I think you're a pretty good trainer if I may say so." The kid looked up to see a young man in a blue hoodie and a sword on his hip smiling down at the trainer.

"How can you say that? My Nidoking didn't even manage to lay a finger on my opponent!"

"And why do you think that is?" The kid stopped to think for a moment, but couldn't think of anything. "I'll tell you why. You underestimated your opponent."

"Underestimated my opponent?"

"Exactly, you saw that Pikachu is a rather small Pokemon compared to your Nidoking, and you underestimated it in battle." Stephen revealed "Because of that, Pikachu ran circles around your attacks and eventually, when your Nidoking was exhausted and not at full strength, was able to overpower you with what strength Pikachu does have. If you had managed to remain calm and attack Pikachu even once, you probably would've won."

"I see. It's all so clear now!" The boy replied, his face lighting up "Thanks mister…uh… I never got your name." he finished with an embarrassed chuckle. Stephen replied with a laugh of his own.

"Well we never got your name either young man. But anyways, my name is Stephen. Your opponent was Ash Ketchum, that there is May Maple, and Dawn Berlitz." Stephen said, gesturing to each of his friends, who were still petting Pikachu.

"Nice to meet you all. My name is Kevin!" the kid replied, pointing to himself with his thumb.

"The honor is mine Kevin." Stephen replied with a slight bow of his head "I don't mean to seem rude, but we have to be on our way. We're visiting an old friend in Pewter City and would like to reach Viridian city at least by nightfall."

"Oh really, do you guys know about the new Route that goes right around Viridian Forest?"

"New Route eh? Sounds interesting. Hold on one second." Stephen then turned to face Ash and the two girls. "Hey guys! Come here for a second!" After a moment, the whole group was standing beside Stephen, wondering what he had called them over for. "Kevin here has some useful information for us."

"Yeah, after you guys reach Viridian City, there's a new Route that goes right around the forest, easily shortening your trip to your buddy in Pewter City." Kevin informed the group

"Hey that sounds useful. Thanks for the tip!" May replied, causing Kevin to beam

"No problem! It's the least I could do after Stephen here was kind enough to teach me a bit about battling." Now it was Stephen's turn to scratch the back of his head and grin sheepishly. Kevin then turned to Ash. "I'm sorry I underestimated your Pikachu Ash. I can guarantee I won't be doing that again when we meet in the future!"

"I look forward to it Kevin." Ash smiled back. After the two opponents shook hands, the group finished packing up their camp, Kevin staying in the forest to train for a bit, and our group resumed their trip to Viridian City. May and Ash walked side-by-side in front, while Stephen and Dawn were behind them. May and Ash were lost in conversation about their long time of training while Stephen kept trying to talk to Dawn.

"So hey Dawn I never asked you… when did you—"he trailed off, noticing that Dawn was looking away from him, arms crossed. "Are you still mad at me for never calling for three years?"

"No… I'm not mad." Dawn said in a tone that said the exact opposite. Stephen simply looked down, trying to think of a way to make it up to her. Then an idea hit him. "Hey you guys keep going on ahead; I'll be back in a few minutes!" He told the group, as he dashed into the forest.

"What do you think that was all about?" May wondered. Ash, having noticed Dawn's attitude towards Stephen, smiled to himself. Stephen didn't like it when people were mad or disappointed in him, so he was probably out to try to make amends with Dawn somehow. How though… Ash had no idea. Dawn simply looked at the spot Stephen was last seen, a slight bit of concern on her face. She was mad at Stephen for not calling while off training for three years, mainly because she worried about how he was. May worried in a similar way for Ash but she always changed the topic whenever Dawn pressed her about the issue.

"Will he be alright by himself?" Dawn asked

"Well he was fine last night wasn't he?" Ash replied "Come on, Stephen will be back by the time we reach the city." And at that, the group resumed walking, minus one caped member. Meanwhile, Stephen was dashing through the forest, eyes ablaze with violet, following the trail to what he was seeking.

"_I know Dawn told me once what her favorite flower was. Hopefully she'll forgive me if I can find it. I just hope it isn't too far away." _Stephen thought to himself. Little did he know… he was being watched.

"Hey… isn't that one of the twerps?" a female voice quietly asked her two companions

"Yes and he seems to be looking for something." A male voice replied

"Should we follow him? He looks like he could have strong Pokemon on him." The female voice observed

"Of course, a chance to catch one of the twerps alone is a golden opportunity!" The male observed

"Hold on a sec yous guys." A third voice chimed in

"What is it Meowth?" the male responded, curious about the interruption

"Well only dis. We've been blasted off by dose twerps so many times, and I for one am sick of it! Besides, we already have another mission from da boss so shouldn't we stick to da program?"

"But Meowth!" The female voice scolded "The ultimate goal of Team Rocket is the capture of all rare and powerful Pokemon in the world! If this twerp has some, then it's our mission to take them!" Meowth remained silent after this revelation, but didn't look too happy. "Now… let's find a spot to ambush the twerp!" And at that, the mystery trio vanished into the shadows… plotting.

"_Come on… COME ON!" _Stephen thought to himself, quickly getting frustrated as he ran through the woods following the purple trail, still having seen no trace of what he was seeking. _"How far away is this damn flower!" _Then, as soon as his frustration was about to get the better of him… the trail stopped and made a violet circle around a group of white flowers…tulips. Dawn's favorite. Stephen stopped and smiled to himself. After gathering a few flowers and tucking them into his bag, Stephen straightened out and grinned, proud that his search was now over "Alright! Now I have to make my way back. But first…" Stephen trailed off, noticing the sun's high position. "I guess I should have lunch."

Sitting down on a stump, Stephen set his pack down and fished out some berries that were left over from last night. Then something hit him, making him chuckle to himself.

"Oh where have my manners gone?" Stephen said to himself as he reached for his belt "Come out guys!" Stephen finished by releasing his Pokemon from their balls. They all greeted him, wondering what their trainer needed. "Nothing really major today guys; I'm just having some lunch, and thought you guys deserve some first. So here." Stephen finished by giving all of his Pokemon some berries. Sitting back, he smiled at himself, until Espeon walked up to him.

"_Espi? Espeon?" _ The cat-like Pokemon asked its trainer

"No Espeon I'm fine." Stephen replied with a smile "I've gone longer than this without food. You guys need to keep your strength up too you know. But, I appreciate the concern." However, Espeon wasn't satisfied with this answer, and turned towards the rest of Stephen's Pokemon.

"_Espeon! Espi Espi Espeon!" _Espeon rallied its teammates, much to Stephen's surprise. The rest of the Pokemon cheered as they all took off on their own paths into the forest, leaving Stephen alone to his thoughts.

"_So that's the way of it eh Espeon?" _Stephen chuckled, remembering what Espeon said "_I wouldn't eat the last of our food myself so now you have to gather food for me? Well…I'm touched. Thanks guys."_ And at that Stephen leaned back and waited for his friends to bring him some food.

Meanwhile, throughout scattered spots in the forest, each of Stephen's Pokemon were hard at work, looking for berries for their master. Electivire had found some pecha berries, while Swampert and Typhlosion weren't having any luck. Absol had found a Sitrus berry, and had it stuck to its horn, and was now making its way back to Stephen. Espeon found some Oran Berries, and was picking them with its psychic abilities. Aggron was looking at some flowers, enjoying the scenery, when it heard some rustling in a bush nearby.

"_Aggron!" _The Iron Armor Pokemon let out a roar, trying to intimidate a possible threat. In truth, Aggron felt nervous. It was a gentle Pokemon, not liking hurting others. Only when Stephen gave it reassurance did Aggron battle to its max potential. Suddenly, a shooting sound was heard as a small sphere flew towards Aggron. Just before it collided with the gentle giant, it opened up into a collar shape and snapped shut around Aggron's neck. Before Aggron knew what was happening, it felt a strong shocking sensation around its neck.

"_AGGROOOON!"_ It shouted, collapsing to its knees. Out of nowhere, a woman cackling could be heard from the spot the shock-collar was shot from.

"Oh this was simply too easy!" she mocked "The stupid twerp let his Pokémon go off by themselves. It's like he practically gave them to us! But for now, rise my new tool! Rise Aggron!" Aggron rose at her command, the collar having completely taken over its mind. The woman's wish was its command.

_Meanwhile…_

Stephen rose, his violet eyes looking in the direction he heard the shouting from.

"_That almost sounded like Aggron." _He mentally worried _"I hope he's ok." _

Typhlosion and Swampert were also in a similar situation. They had been jumped out of nowhere by two mystery people, one much shorter than the other, and were now at their beck and call, collars around their necks. Espeon was collared by the some woman who attacked Aggron. Electivire and Absol had both just returned to Stephen, unaware of what was happening to the others.

"Hey have either of you two seen Aggron?" Stephen asked them

"_Vire! Electivire Vire!" _Electivire replied

"So you haven't seen any of them." Stephen repeated Electivire's words. "That isn't good." He then looked up and noticed that Absol was looking off into the forest. "What's up Absol? You sense something?" Stephen asked, recalling Absol's talent of sensing danger. Absol turned to Stephen and nodded, confirming Stephen's worry.

"Then we should probably go look for th—AAAH!" Stephen started, but was interrupted by Absol tackling him. "What was that for Absol?" He then noticed the collar that had flown past him and attached itself to Electivire. It began to crackle with a red light and Electivire collapsed to the ground in pain.

"Electivire!" Stephen called to it, concerned for his friend's safety. Then he turned to where the collar was shot from and saw three figures standing there, laughing at him. "Who are you people?!" Stephen demanded. Then he heard all-too familiar motto music and groaned inwardly.

"Listen! Is that an angry twerp I hear?" A female voice started

"He fumes at me loud and clear!" a male voice replied

"On the winds!"

"Past the stars!"

"In your ear." A new voice joined… but it sounded almost… depressed

"We bring chaos at a break-neck pace!"

"Dashing all hope, putting fear in its place!"

"A rose by any other name's just as sweet!"

"When everything's worse our work is complete!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"…..meowth…"

"Putting you do-gooders in your place!"

"Team Rocket!"

"In your face!"

"It figures you guys would bother me here!" Stephen called out "Just what will it take to get you three off my back!"

"Well if you hand over that Absol of yours there we just might think about it." James replied, pointing at Absol

"Not a chance!"

"Then you leave us no choice! New recruits, attack!" At that moment, Stephen became surrounded by Pokemon, and his heart stopped when he recognized them all. Espeon, Swampert, Typhlosion, Aggron, and now Electivire were all glaring at him with red eyed, ready to obey their new masters.

"What did you do to them?" Stephen asked, rage on the edge of his voice

"We made them join the winning side of course!" Jessie mocked, and she then pulled out a remote control of some sort "And with this remote right here we can tell them to do whatever Team Rocket wishes!"

"So let me see if I'm getting all of this." Stephen began, the rage in his voice more apparent now "You attacked and collared my friends, changed them to your side, and now you plan on using them to attack me?!"

"The twerp catches on fast!" James taunted

"But not fast enough! Minions… attack!" Jessie ordered, pressing buttons on her remote. At once, all of Stephen's now controlled Pokemon leapt at him, ready for the attack.

"Absol we gotta destroy that remote!" Stephen called out, jumping, sliding, and rolling to dodge the attacks aimed at him. "I'll distract the gang, you go for the remote!" Absol nodded and jumped out of the battlefield and faced Team Rocket, a deep growl coming from his throat.

"_SOL! __ABSOL AB AB ABSOL!" _Absol roared

"Meowth what's the Absol saying?" James asked, looking to Meowth for interpretation. Meowth's face bore a sullen expression and he simply looked down. "Meowth?" James repeated

"He's askin' me how I can do dis to my fellow Pokemon." Meowth finally replied "He says I should be ashamed a myself for my actions."

"Well don't just sit there and take those insults! Get him with a fury Swipes!" Jessie ordered. Unfortunately for her, Meowth just sat there, hesitating.

"Absol any day now would be good!" Stephen called from the behind Absol. He had taken a few hits from his Pokemon but luckily had dodged any fatal injuries. However, exhaustion was creeping in on our caped trainer, and he could only dodge so many more attacks before he finally got hit.

"_AAAAB….SOL!"_ Absol cried, as its horn glowed pink. It then released the energy with a swipe of its head, and it flew right at Jessie.

"WAH!" She cried as the Psycho-Cut hit her, knocking the remote loose from her grasp.

"_SOL!"_ Absol cried again, this time launching a razor wind at the remote, chopping into tiny pieces. Suddenly, all of Stephen's Pokemon stopped attacking him as the collars on their necks suddenly fizzled up and fell off of their necks. Looking around… they could only wonder how they to their present location. Then they noticed that Stephen looked hurt and instantly looked for who was responsible. Glares resting on Team Rocket, they obediently awaited orders from their trainer.

"I'm gonna let Aggron handle this one guys." Stephen ordered "Aggron, use Stone Edge!"

"_AGGRON!" _Aggron shouted, as pieces of stone began to float around it. Once enough were gathered, they were all flung at Team Rocket, too stunned to move, and they all collided in an explosion of dust and smoke. Looking up, Stephen could see the three Rocket members flying though the air.

"We could've avoided this if you had simply attacked Meowth!" Jessie raged

"We'll certainly be talking about this once we land!" James added "But for now—"

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" They all said, trailing off into the distance and vanishing with a twinkle.

"Well thank goodness that's all over." Stephen said, sitting down as his eyes returned to blue once more. "Are you all ok?" He then asked his Pokemon. After many nods confirming that they were ok. Stephen returned them all back into their Pokéballs. He then took notice of the Sun's position again. It was about 2 in the afternoon now. "Crap! I'm gonna be late getting to the city!" Stephen exclaimed as he rose again and sprinted into the forest, heading towards Viridian City.

_Meanwhile…_

Dawn was watching the sky as the gang was finishing up eating their lunch. Something caught her notice, but it vanished before she could point it out.

"Hey… did you guys see that thing in the sky?" She asked the group

"Yeah I saw it too. And if it was what I think it was… then I think Stephen will have a story to tell us later." Ash commented. Dawn simply shrugged and finished her lunch, unease still in her stomach about whether or not Stephen was safe.

Hours later, the gang was just arriving at the gate to Viridian City and they were on their way towards the Pokemon Center. After walking into the Center, Ash approached the Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Center.

"Excuse me Nurse Joy but may I rent two rooms for the night?" Ash inquired

"Of course!" The Nurse replied with a smile "You're just in time too; we only have these two rooms left." She finished by handing Ash two room keys.

"Thank you very much!" Ash replied, taking the keys and walking over to May and Dawn, both sitting on a couch by the door. "I got us some rooms for the night guys. We might as well go get everything situated in them before having dinner."

"Ok sounds fine by me!" May answered, already awaiting dinner

"I…I think I'll wait here for a few minutes" Dawn stated, drawing looks from both Ash and May

"Are you sure?" Ash asked, concern showing in his voice

"Yeah, I just wanna wait for a few minutes." Dawn reassured him "No need to worry guys."

"Well if you say so. Come on May." Ash called, turning towards the rooms they had rented, with May walking beside him.

"Isn't that just the cutest thing you've ever seen Ash?" May asked him, once they were out of earshot of Dawn of course.

"What do you mean?" Ask replied, completely oblivious.

"I mean that Dawn is waiting there all because she's worried about Stephen's safety! It's sooo cuuuute~!" May finished, twinkles appearing in her eyes. Ash just chuckled to himself.

"_May looks so cute when she gets like this. Dawn must really be worried about- hold on… did I just describe May as cute? What am I thinking? She's my friend!" _Ash shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"You ok Ash?" May asked

"Oh…uh… yeah… I'm fine. A little hungry though, so let's hurry to our rooms so we can go eat!" He finished by racing past May and stopping at the end of the hall in between two rooms. "Ok so you and Dawn can have the room here on the right, and Stephen and I will take the one here on the left. Sound good?"

"Yup!"

"Ok then let's pack up and go have some dinner!" And at they, the two unlocked their rooms and began setting their stuff up in their respective rooms. Meanwhile, Dawn was still sitting on the couch, the expression on her face growing more and more worried by the minute.

"_Where on Earth could Stephen be? He was supposed to meet up with us as soon as we reached the city. I hope he didn't get hurt." _Dawn concluded her thoughts. Then, as the door to the Center opened, Dawn nearly squealed from delight. Stephen was standing in the doorway, panting and a little cut up and bruised, but he was ok! Stephen noticed her sitting on the couch and weakly waved at her.

"Hey Dawn, sorry I'm a little late. I didn't mean to make you guy wor—OOF!" Stephen was interrupted as Dawn had wrapped her arms around him and was hugging him tightly. Although stunned at first, Stephen eventually smiled and returned the gesture. He was able to use this moment to realize a few things about Dawn. She was actually almost as tall as he was, something not very common in girls he had met. She had also definitely grown up, as shown by her more womanly physique rather than the more girly one she had at their meeting. It also felt nice to hold her, and Stephen felt a warm feeling in his chest. He didn't want this moment to end.

Little did the two of them know, nearly everyone in the center was looking at them and smiling, some even trying to hold back snickers. However, the happy moment was finally broken up when the couple heard May's voice.

"AWWWW isn't that just adorable?" May stated from the hallway entrance. Both May and Stephen realized just how long they had been hugging, and quickly backed away from each other, each trying desperately to hide their respective blushes. Ash then came to the entrance and smiled when he saw Stephen standing by the doorway.

"Hey Stephen you made it!" Ash called, but he paused when he noticed the cuts and bruises that Stephen had "You alright though, you look a little beat up."

"Yeah I'm alright." Stephen replied, trying not to make his friends worry "I've had worse." Dawn had just taken notice of more of his injuries as well and decided to make her opinion known.

"Well look at the state you're in mister!" She huffed, sounding kind of like a mother, "We've got to get those cuts cleaned and bandages on them right away!" She finished by grabbing Stephen's hand and dragged him to Nurse Joy. Stephen then went to the examination room for a few minutes before reappearing with a few bandages in his face: one on his forehead and one on his right cheek.

"There I'm all fixed up. Can we go eat now?" Stephen asked the group

"Yeah let's go eat already!" Ash seconded

"Ok but don't you dare go off on any more adventures by yourself alright?" Dawn scolded Stephen

"Yes dear." Stephen mumbled under his breath. The gang all walked into the Pokemon Center's dining hall and everyone smiled as soon as the smell from the buffet made it to their noses. Grabbing food of their choice, the gang all sat down and began eating. After several minutes of eating, Dawn's curiosity got the better of her.

"So Stephen, what did you even run into the forest for anyways?"

"You'll find out later." He replied with a wink. Wondering what the wink could mean, Dawn pressed him further

"Well did anything happen? I mean you had to get those cuts and bruises from somewhere, and I don't think you tripped on a root either."

"Actually, I was about to get to that. Stephen started; swallowing the bite of his burger he had taken "Team Rocket attacked me in the forest." This revelation drew concerned looks from the three other members of the group.

"So they're the ones that gave you those injuries then?" Ash asked, anger on the edge of his voice

"Well… technically… no" Stephen replied, earning confused looks from the group. "They attacked my Pokemon with these collars of some sort, and I guess it took over their minds. Then, my mind controlled Pokemon attacked me. Luckily, Absol hadn't gotten captured so he destroyed the remote they were using to control the collars and my Pokemon returned to normal. Then you probably know the rest."

"You blasted them off right?" Dawn chimed in, drawing a smile from Stephen.

"I take it you guys saw them then?" Stephen asked, earning another round of nods from the rest of the group.

"They just never know when to quit do they?" May asked nobody in particular

"Yeah I know, they've been bugging me since day one. I have to give them an A for persistence though. I'm not sure if they'll ever change." Ash responded

"I wouldn't be so sure about that one Ash." Stephen interrupted

"What do you mean?"

"Something about their Meowth seemed a little…off… today." Stephen revealed "He seemed almost depressed about something. Also, when James ordered him to attack me, he hesitated. I wonder if he feels bothered by something."

"Well either way" Dawn began "He was with the people who hurt you! I don't forgive him for a second!"

"I wonder though…" Stephen muttered to himself. "Oh well, let's just get a good night's sleep after we're done eating alright? No need to let Team Rocket bother us on our journey!"

"Right!" The rest of the gang replied, as they all happily returned to eating

_Meanwhile… _

"I can't believe we lost to just one of those blasted twerps!" Jessie pouted, hanging from a tree limb "We were so close too! We only needed to capture that blasted Absol of his!"

"How does such a bratty twerp get so darn lucky anyways?" James joined her in pouting. Then, casting his gaze on Meowth, who had yet to say anything, James decided to confront the feline. "And what was with that poor performance Meowth? Jessie told you to attack that blasted Absol but you just stood there!" Meowth racked his mind to think of a convincing lie to escape his comrade's wrath. They had grown more violent over the years, after rising slightly in the ranks after some success. However, their success only made them take defeat even worse.

"Well I couldn't move yous guys!" Meowth started, hoping to make his lie sound convincing "Dat dere Absol has got the ability Pressure! I couldn't have moved even if I wanted to!" Jessie and James simply glared at him for a second, before realizing that it was futile anyways. They had already been defeated, so best to plan for the future.

"Well… whatever!" Jessie began "The first thing on our minds now should be how to get back at those twerps for humiliating us!" The criminal group sat there, trying to think of a plot to get revenge until James snapped to attention.

"I think I just thought of something!" He exclaimed happily

"Well don't keep us in the dark James! Give us the scoop!" Jessie replied, interested in hearing his idea

"Well when we first saw Mr. Caped twerp he was looking for something correct?" James began

"Go on" Jessie motioned for him to continue

"Well he might have been looking for something to give to someone else! So quite simply, if we find who this someone else is… then we can grab them and force him to hand over all of his Pokemon!" Jessie's face lit up at the idea, but Meowth's face grew darker.

"_We're stoopin' down to swipin' people now too?!" _He mentally asked himself _"I don't know how much longer I can go along wit' dis."_

"So all we have to do is scout out the twerps a bit… and we can find out who we're gonna grab!" James finished his plan

"That just might work James!" Jessie praised "So what're the groups going to be?"

"Well we should get closer to the city they're probably staying at first, and once we find the twerp and any person or people he's with, we can decide from there."

"Alright! Operation twerp steal is a-go!" Jessie announced. At that, the Rocket Gang hopped down from the tree and made their way to Viridian City. Meowth, still lost in thought, trailed slightly behind.

Back at the Pokemon Center, our gang was just finishing their meal and deciding what to do next.

"Well… should we maybe call our families to tell them how we're doing?" May asked the group. Stephen winced a little at the words family, but thankfully, nobody had noticed.

"Yeah that sounds great May!" Dawn answered "We haven't actually told our parents we're traveling with Ash and Stephen again."

"And my mom would probably like to know that we've reached the city alright. Come on Stephen!" Ash finished, jogging over to the video phones in the lobby. With a sigh, Stephen followed him. Dialing his number into the phone, it rang a few times before the face of Delia Ketchum appeared on the phone.

"Hello?" She asked as the video screen activated "Oh hello sweetie!"

"Hi mom!" Ash replied

"Hi Mrs. Ketchum!" Stephen added

"Hello to you Stephen!" The mother added "How are you both doing on your journey so far?"

"We're doing great mom! We just reached Viridian City and we're staying at the Pokemon Center for the night!"

"Well as long as you boys are having fun" Delia replied with a smile. It was then that she noticed that Stephen had a couple of bandages on his face. "Whatever happened Stephen? Are you alright?"

"Oh…yeah, I'm fine Mrs. Ketchum!" Stephen replied, trying to avoid worrying her. Delia paused for a second, until she realized that Stephen was probably alright, as he was the oldest of the group. The two young men then talked with her for several minutes about recent events, from their cooking, to May and Dawn's new Pokemon, even Ash's battle with Kevin. After some time, Ash couldn't stop himself from yawning, making his mother's instincts kick in.

"Alrighty boys you two should get some sleep. You sound like you've both had a long day." She instructed

"Alright mom, goodnight!" Ash replied with a wave

"We'll call you again once we reach Pewter City Mrs. Ketchum!" Stephen followed with a wave of his own. At that, the screen changed to black as the call ended. Dawn and May had both also finished their phone calls by this time and everyone looked ready to go to bed. As the gang was headed towards the hallway, Dawn realized something. Stephen hadn't called his parents. In fact, she had never actually met Stephen's parents before. He never seemed to talk about them much.

"Hey Stephen?" Dawn asked "Why don't you call your parents too?" Ash and Stephen both froze at this question. The room also seemed to feel about 20 degrees cooler as well. Something was wrong.

"I'd rather not…" Was all Stephen would say, his voice sounded like he hadn't had anything to drink in ages.

"Hey yeah, you've never told us about your parents come to think of it!" May observed as well. Stephen's fists were clenched at this point, and his whole body was trembling.

"I'm going out for a few minutes. Don't follow me." Stephen ordered, as he stormed out of the Pokemon Center, drawing a few strange looks from the people in the lobby. Ash just stood there as well… and he seemed to be muttering something.

"What's wrong Ash?" May asked, leaning to look at his face, which held an expression of shock "Was it something we said?"

"I can't believe I never told you guys." Ash droned on, oblivious to May's question "I'm such an idiot!" I can't believe we haven't told you!"

"Whoa slow down Ash. What haven't you told us?" Dawn replied, directing Ash to one of the chairs in the hallway to try to calm the young trainer down. Ash just rested his head in his hands for a minute before talking.

"May… Dawn… There's something you need to know about Stephen… and his parents." Ash sounded like he had seen death itself by his tone

"Why?" May started

"What could they be like to make Stephen react like that? Did they not get along or something?" Dawn finished. Ash sat there for another minute before he could work up the stomach to respond.

"They're dead."

"WHAT?!" Both girls gasped, realizing what they had just asked Stephen to do only minutes ago

"What do you mean they're dead?" May whispered to Ash, unable to make her voice any louder

"He hasn't told me much about it. But my mom and I found him years ago in Lavender Town, being raised there by Mr. Fuji. His parents had been killed by unknown criminals, and apparently he was kidnapped. He escaped and stayed with Mr. Fuji ever since. And in the short time I was there, we became fast friends. My mom then had the idea to adopt him, so asked Mr. Fuji if she could. He agreed and Stephen came to live with us in Pallet Town from then on. After we set off on our journey… you guys know the rest." Ash finished by putting his face back into his hands

Both girls were in tears at this point. They had no idea that Stephen was an orphan. That explained why he never called his parents, and why he called Delia Mrs. Ketchum; he couldn't bear to seemingly abandon his now-deceased mother. They were absolutely wracked with guilt.

"I can't believe we just put Stephen though that!" Dawn sobbed, wiping her eyes "I have to go apologize! I'm the one who brought the topic up in the first place! It's all my fault!"

"No Dawn it's my fault… We should have told you. I still can't believe we never did." Ash replied, his face still in his hands. May brought Dawn close so they could whisper and gave her some instructions

"Dawn you need to go and find Stephen. Make this right."

"How am I supposed to find him though?" Dawn responded

"Have one of your Pokemon try to sniff him out. We've only been with them for a few days but hopefully they'll be able to tell his scent out from the crowd."

"I hope you're right about this." Dawn replied worriedly "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to stay here by Ash. He seems nearly as shaken up about this as I'm sure Stephen is. It makes sense because… I guess they're technically brothers since Delia adopted Stephen." May observed

"Alright; I'll hopefully be back within an hour or so." Dawn responded as she took off into the City, hoping to find Stephen.

Stephen found a hill on the edge of town and sat down. His hood pulled over his head, Stephen stared into the City, horrible memories rushing into his mind.

"_We're here for you Psion knight!" A dark voice yelled from outside of Stephen's house _

"_Gaius!" A woman's voice shouted, panic in her voice. She was standing beside the kitchen table, clutching her child in fear._

"_Cornelia! Get Stephonius to safety!" The man replied, a sword in his hand_

"_Father!" his own, younger voice, shouted. Then a loud crash was heard as the door to his house was kicked in, and men dressed in black barged in, swords in their hands._

"_Get the child! He's needed for the weapon!" One of the strange men shouted_

"_You'll never take my son you bastards!" Stephonius' father shouted, jumping in between the men and Cornelia. "Run Cornelia! I'll hold them back! You must get Stephonius to safety!" Cornelia, now clutching Stephonius to herself, took off and ran out of the houses back door, and into the maze-like alleyways of the City. Shouting could be heard, almost as if someone had just been killed… _

"_FATHER!" Stephonius wailed, hating to leave his father behind to those mean men. _

Stephen's eyes were watering, as he openly wept after recalling the memory of seeing his father die. He could do nothing to stop the murder, and that's what made the memory all the more painful. His father had been murdered by people seeking someone called a Psion Knight. What even was that? Why did his father have to die!? Suddenly, Stephen heard footsteps coming from behind him. Not caring at the moment, the source of the footsteps stopped beside him, and their source sat down.

"Stephen?" The voice asked "Are you alright?" Stephen recognized the voice of Dawn, and he snapped out of his trance.

"Hi Dawn…" Was all he could say. A long period of silence passed as the two sat beside each other, neither able to think of something to say. Dawn finally broke the silence.

"Stephen, I need to apologize for earlier." She started "I had no idea that your parents were….gone." I didn't mean t—" Stephen interrupted her by raising his head, indicating he wanted to say something

"If anything…I should apologize." Stephen began "It was my fault for not telling either you or May about my past. It's just that… I have a hard time talking about it." Stephen paused to wipe his eyes on his sleeve. "I just didn't want to see you guys pity me for it. I absolutely hate it when people pity me for being… adopted." He finished, and the two sat in silence again for several minutes. Suddenly, Stephen brought his arm around Dawn and pulled her close, desperate for any kind of comfort. Dawn blushed heavily at the sudden attention, but decided to lean into Stephen anyways. The two sat in this position for a few more minutes until Stephen broke the silence again.

"Dawn?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks… for coming here to comfort me." Stephen began "I know it's probably a bit awkward for you, but I really appreciate it." He finished with a weak smile.

"Well it was the least I could do Stephen." Dawn replied with a smile of her own "Besides, I felt so guilty after I asked about your um… parents." Stephen tensed for a moment at the mention of the word 'parents' but he soon relaxed.

"Well again, I really appreciate you coming to comfort me. It's been hard to deal with what happened to my parents. But, and I don't know on Earth you do it, but you've helped me just by being here." Dawn blushed at that comment "I think I'm ready to move on, at least a little bit, from the…incident." Stephen finished.

"Well I'm glad I could help Stephen!" Dawn finished with another smile.

The two then sat on the hill, staring at the City, each in a much better mood from just being in each other's presence. Minutes passed and Stephen decided that they should probably get back to the Pokemon Center for some sleep.

"Hey Dawn?" Stephen gently shook her. Much to his surprise, she was fast asleep…in his arms…

"_Why does my face feel so warm all of a sudden?" _Stephen thought to himself

Nevertheless, they couldn't very well sleep outside, so Stephen did the only thing he could think of. He gently picked Dawn up, bridal style, and began carrying her towards Viridian City.

_Meanwhile…_

"Ash it isn't your fault." May soothingly said to Ash, trying to comfort him in any way she could

"But it is May!" Ash argued "I should have told you about Stephen's past so this kind of thing wouldn't happen!" May sat down next to Ash, and tried to think of a way to comfort him. He was clearly blaming himself for the incident. How could she make him stop blaming himself for everything! Suddenly, she had an idea. She stood up and placed herself in front of Ash.

"May? What are yo-?" He was interrupted as May grabbed him and pulled him to his feet and embraced him in a hug.

"It isn't your fault Ash." She whispered in his ear "Stop blaming yourself for everything." The two simply stood there, each embracing the other. Ash felt very…good…hugging May. She always knew just how to make him feel better.

"_I wish this moment could last forever._ Ash thought _"Wait… why do I feel so… warm? What on Earth is this feeling?" _Ash then pulled back from the hug, but gave May a warm smile.

"Thanks for that May. I needed some voice of reason."

"Glad I could help Ash!" May beamed at him. At that moment, Stephen walked into the Pokemon Center, holding a sleeping Dawn in his arms.

"Hey Stephen!" Ash said, but not too loudly so as to not wake Dawn. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, Dawn came and we talked for a bit. I'm not sure how she does it" Stephen paused to smile at Dawn in his arms "But just talking to her made me feel better."

"Awww that's so sweet~" May suddenly piped in "You two look so cute together!" Stephen flushed a fierce shade of red at her remark, but didn't want to shout anything lest he wake Dawn up.

"Look can we just go to bed now?" He tried changing the topic "She fell asleep while we were talking and I didn't want her to get sick outside."

"Are you going to tuck her in too?" May continued to tease Stephen, making his face somehow turn an even darker shade of red. May giggled at his reaction, and finally decided that Stephen had had enough. The gang walked down the hall to their respective rooms, each having two beds each in them. May opened the door to her and Dawn's room and Stephen followed her inside.

"Which of these beds is Dawn's?" Stephen asked. May gestured to the bed that was closer to the door of the two. Stephen walked over and gently placed Dawn in the bed, and stood up to leave the room Pausing for a moment, he turned around and leaned over Dawn and, much to his surprise, kissed her cheek, earning a quiet "awwww" from May. "Goodnight Dawn." He whispered to her in her sleep.

"_Am I imagining it… or did she smile a little when I did that?" _Stephen pondered _"I must just be tired or something…" _

Yawning, Stephen returned to leaving the room, and he shut the door behind him. Entering hi room that he shared with Ash, Stephen went into the bathroom to change into his pajamas and brush his teeth. His eyes shut as soon as his head touched the pillow, and sleep overtook him. Within minutes, the whole Center was in the loving embrace of their own dreams.

**And that wraps up Chapter 3 everybody! What did you all think? I know it may seem like I've been focusing a lot on Stephen but I need to establish his character so you guys know what to expect in the future. So… did I catch any of you off guard with the orphan Stephen story? Admit it guys. And what on Earth is a Psion Knight? Maybe it'll be something in the future. Maybe it won't. Stay tuned for Chapter 4 of May a new Day Dawn and don't forget to review guys! I'm Flamewing… signing off!**


	4. Chapter 4: Family Matters

May a New Day Dawn Chapter 4

**Hello everyone and welcome to Chapter 4 of May a New Day Dawn. I'm happy to see that just two days after uploading chapter 3 I jumped up 200 views right away. It still blows me away just how many people have seen my work! Even if not all of them read every chapter. I just hope to keep writing and continue the story that I came up with. I would like to see a few more reviews than I have seen however… but hey… I can't exactly force you guys to review. It does help me see what you guys are thinking of the story though, so if you would be kind enough to just leave a few thoughts, I would really appreciate it. Any who… without further delay! CHAPTER FOUR!**

**P.S. I started putting lines in when the "perspective" changes, unless I already have a "meanwhile…"**

**P.S.S. I feel like I should clarify something. Normal text is either narration or human dialogue. Italics indicate thoughts, or Pokémon talking, while bold text is an author's note or something else.**

_Chapter 4: Family Matters _

"Ok gang, status report!" The ever bossy voice of Jessie commanded. The three members of Team Rocket were huddled together beneath a tree, discussing the results of their scouting mission from last night.

"Well Meowth and I were able to locate the caped twerp last night, and he was sitting alone on some hill." James started "He seemed bothered by something too. We were about to jump him until the twerpette from Sinnoh came along and they started talking. They just sat there holing each other for a while until the twerp carried her back to the city." That last statement brought a cackle form Jessie

"Oh how sickeningly cute!" She laughed "It almost seems a crime to break up two young lovers! Too bad for them Team Rocket is just the criminal group to accomplish such a goal!"

"What about you Jess? Any luck scouting out the Pokemon Center?" James inquired

"Get this!" She started "You guys didn't see the only pair of lovebirds last night! The original twerp and the Hoenn girl are together too! They were talking and hugging in the Pokemon Center. This makes our plan that much better! We can kidnap their girlfriends, and force them to hand over their Pokemon for their return! It's all too easy!" She finished with a laugh. Meowth had yet to say anything, but he was quickly regretting helping James find Stephen on the hill.

"_What am I gonna do?" _Meowth thought to himself _"Dese guys ain't da same Jessie and James I joined Team Rocket with all dose years ago. Nabbin' Pokemon is one ting… but people too?!" _

"Meowth?" James' voice interrupted his thoughts

"_Huh? What is it?" _Meowth asked, caught off guard

"We need you to build us a machine to capture the twerpettes so our plan can be completed!" Jessie informed the talking feline. After Meowth hesitated for a moment, he agreed. Unbeknownst to the two humans, he had a plan.

_Meanwhile…_

"_Where… where am I?" _Stephen wondered to himself. He was in an area of complete blankness, white as far as the eye can see. Yet, he was standing on something. _"Am I dreaming?" _Stephen decided to test his theory and explore the area around him. After walking for what seemed like several minutes, he was losing any hope of finding out where he was. But suddenly, there was a figure in the distance, a human by the looks of it.

"Hey! You!" Stephen called, starting to jog towards the shape "Can you tell me where I am?" The figure stopped, and eventually turned towards Stephen, who felt his heart stop for a moment when he recognized the face

"Stephen?" The raven haired figure asked

"Ash?" Stephen replied "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Ash responded "Were we teleported somewhere or something?"

"Beats me…" Stephen replied, scratching his head in bewilderment "Are we in some other dimension or something? Well… no matter… something must be going on for us to both be here in the same place."

"Maybe something brought us here then?" Ash proposed

"_Or maybe someONE brought you two here!" _A voice called out, seeming to echo over the whole landscape

"What was that?" Stephen called out to nobody in particular, drawing his sword in expectation of attack.

"I'm not sure… but it almost sounded familiar" Ash replied, searching for the source of the voice

"_I should hope my voice would be familiar to you Ash. You and Stephen there helped to save my life after all."_ The voice responded

"Wait… could that voice be?" Stephen began

"It must be…" Ash continued. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in front of the two trainers and a figure appeared. It was a giant quadrapedal Pokemon, mostly white in color. It had a long mane on the back of its head, and a golden belt along its waist. The Pokemon held itself with an air of importance, which is very fitting for what it has done.

"Arceus!" Ash exclaimed

"It was you we were hearing!" Stephen added, sheathing his blade

"_It warms my heart to see you both doing so well for yourselves." _Arceus told the two trainers, telepathically of course.

"It's great to see you too Arceus." Stephen responded, saluting the great Pokemon as a sign of respect

"How have you been?" Ash inquired the Alpha Pokemon

"_I have been well. However, if I may bypass a few formalities, I have a message I must give the both of you." _Arceus replied

"A message?" Ash started

"What do you mean?" Stephen finished. Suddenly, Arceus' eyes began to shine a brilliant green color.

"_There is a great danger that is about to awaken in the land of unity." _Arceus replied, sounding rather prophetic _"The two that were once one must unite against their old self. Only the heroes of Auría(Ore-eye-a) and Psion(psy-on) can save unity from total collapse. However, they cannot accomplish this task by themselves; only joined by two who possess the eye of the sky can the heroes accomplish their journey."_ Arceus finished its prophecy and stood, awaiting the trainer's response.

"Land of unity… Auría and Psion… eyes of the sky… what could this all mean?" Stephen mumbled to himself "Wait… Psion? I've heard that before!" Stephen blurted, remembering the memory of his father's death

"_We're here for you knight of Psion!" _The voice said

"So… my father was a knight of Psion… what on earth is a Psion?" Stephen muttered

"You understand any of this Stephen?" Ash asked his companion

"Not much… but the word Psion sounds familiar." Stephen replied, getting a questioning look from Ash "I'll tell you later." With a nod, both trainers turned to face the God-like Pokemon before them.

"Is that the total of your message Arceus?" Ash asked

"_It is." _Arceus responded _"I wish I could tell you both more, but not even I know the meaning of this message. There are higher powers than myself at work in the world it seems." _

"Yeah prophecies tend to be like that." Stephen mumbled under his breath "Well we thank you for the message Arceus, and wish you safe travels in wherever you may go in the future." Stephen finished, with another salute

"It was nice seeing you again, even if we had to come to… uh… where are we exactly anyways?" Ash added

"_We are in the combined conscience of you two." _Arceus revealed _"Or to put it simply, we are in the area where both of your dreams intersect." _

"So we are dreaming!" Stephen blurted, happy that he was partially right

"_Yes, but now that the message is delivered you two must awaken to resume your quest." _Arceus stated

"How exactly are we supposed to just wake up?" Ash asked. He then noticed Arceus charging up some sort of attack. "And what are you doing?!"

"_Isn't it obvious?" _Arceus began, still charging up its Judgment attack _"When someone dies in their dream, they wake up."_

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Stephen started, raising his arms in a defensive posture "You're just gonna kill us!?"

"_It's the only way to wake you two up." _Arceus replied "_Besides, it's just a dream. You won't actually feel anything."_

"Well… that's true I suppose…" Stephen admitted

"STILL!" Ash blurted "I don't feel like dying today!" Sadly for our raven-haired friend, Arceus had just finished charging its attack.

"_The time has come!" _Arceus announced, shooting a bright beam into the sky _"For the awakening!" _The single beam rose and split into many more beams, all making their way towards out heroes, who could only stare as their "doom" approached. As the attack got closer and closer, the trainers couldn't help but enter defensive stances, out of reflex. Then there was a bright orange flash… followed by darkness.

"GAH!" Ash started, quickly rising from his bed. He was panting heavily, swearing he could still feel the shockwave from that attack. _"Sheesh, couldn't Arceus think of a gentler way to wake someone up?" _he thought to himself. Finally looking to his right, Ash noticed that Stephen was sitting up in his bed in a similar state, arms clung to himself tightly as if trying to convince himself that the attack wasn't real.

"You ok there Stephen?" Ash teased, trying to get under his friend's skin a little

"I could ask you the same thing Ash." Stephen retorted "You look just as shaken up as I am." Ash just chuckled.

"Well ya got me there. Come on, we might as well get out of bed now." Ash stated, climbing out of bed, careful not to disturb Pikachu, who was somehow still asleep despite their talking

"Right. You can go ahead and get exercising without me. I have some things to take care of." Stephen replied, rising from his own bed

"What do you mean by… things?" Ash inquired, thinking that these "things" might be connected to last night's incident.

"I'll tell you about them once I'm finished. Unless you happen to learn from someone else that is." Stephen cryptically replied. Ash simply shrugged it off, if his friend didn't want to tell him, then so be it. After the two trainers showered and got dressed, they grabbed a quick breakfast in the dining room of the Pokemon Center. It was pretty quiet with it still being 6 in the morning. After finishing their meals, Ash went off to get some training done, while Stephen stuck around the Pokemon Center. After a few minutes, he walked up to the video phones, hoping that the person he intended to call was awake by now.

"Hello?" The woman asked, wondering who could be calling her so early in the morning. "Oh, good morning Stephen!" Mrs. Ketchum greeted "What makes you call at such an early hour?"

"I… I have something to say… And I've been meaning to say this for 13 years." Stephen began, Delia's face growing more and more puzzled as he went on. "And it's that…I love you… mom." Stephen finally finished, smiling at the woman who raised him, and whom he finally acknowledged as his mother, adoptive or no.

"Stephen I… I've been waiting for so long to finally hear you say that." Delia smiled, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"I know." Stephen replied "I just could never bring myself to use the word… mom… again after seeing what happened to my real parents." Stephen began, sounding a little gloomy, but he soon perked up "However, thanks to recent events, I can finally bring myself to call you my mother."

"Well I won't ask what happened." Delia began, not wanting to upset her second child "I'm just glad to finally have another son."

"_Another son…" _Stephen thought to himself, making him smile. _"It feels nice… hearing someone say that… after so long. _I won't keep you waiting mom, I just wanted to get that off my chest."

"Well thanks for calling sweetie… you've just made my entire day!" Delia informed the young trainer

"Happy I could help mom!" Stephen beamed "By the way… how's that Pecha Tree that I planted a few days ago doing?"

"Oh!" Delia exclaimed, having forgotten about the tree entirely "It's doing very well! I don't know how you did it, but it's growing into a young sapling now and should be fully grown in a week or so!"

"Glad to hear it!" Stephen smiled and mentally high-fived himself "But I have other business I have to attend to… you should be able to check what it is with Professor Oak in a few minutes! Bye mom!" And with that farewell, out brunette trainer hung up the phone. Taking a second to compose himself, Stephen stood up and went to the Nurse Joy at the front desk.

"I wonder what Stephen could have been talking about?" Delia asked herself as she sat at the kitchen table. "He did say I could find out from professor Oak in a few minutes… and it's been about 20 by now. Maybe I should give Samuel a call." After walking over to her video phone again, Delia dialed in the number for Pallet Town's local professor, and waited for him to answer.

"Ah good morning Delia!" The professor cheerily answered "What could you need on such a fine day?"

"Good morning Samuel!" Delia replied "I'm just wondering about Stephen… he gave me a call this morning and said that you could tell me what it was about."

"That's strange…" The professor mumbled "I haven't gotten a call from him today. I'll check a few things and get back to you in a moment." And at that he turned to his computer and began typing. After several dead ends, the professor had an idea _"I wonder if he changed his trainer profile." _He thought. After quickly looking up Stephen's trainer information, he smiled to himself. "Delia… you're going to want to see this."

"What is it Professor?" She asked. Her response was her screen changing from the call to Samuel's screen, showing Stephen's information. She spotted it right away… right next to where it said name.

_Name: Stephen Ketchum_

Stephen was outside the Pokemon Center, leaning against the wall. He felt happy… deep inside. He finally had a mother again, after so long. Well, she was always there. He just couldn't bring himself to seemingly abandon his birth mother. With a content sigh, Stephen straightened out to go back into the Pokemon center. There was still one small piece of business to take care of.

"_I just hope Dawn likes these flowers." _Stephen thought to himself, back in the room that he and Ash had rented last night. _"I know that white tulips are her favorite but still… she may still be angry at me for being silent for three years… and then there's my little 'adventure' yesterday into the forest." _Stephen chucked to himself _"I wonder why she puts up with my antics sometimes." _Approaching his bag, Stephen unzipped the slot he had placed the tulips in, and took them out. He then started weaving.

Dawn was standing on a bridge, watching the sunset. It was beautiful; the orange sky, and wide variety of color in the clouds, and the water reflecting it all. It was perfect…well… almost. She turned her head to the left to look at what made the moment truly perfect. Stephen was leaning against the railing, watching the sunset, his eyes a clear blue color. He had a content look on his face; free from all the worry and unease he had last night.

"It's beautiful… isn't it Stephen?" Dawn asked, now facing the sunset again

"It sure is. But I can think of something even better." Stephen replied, causing Dawn to look at him, already predicting his answer. Stephen turned towards her and smiled "This beautiful princess right here in front of me."

"That's really cheesy you know." Dawn teased, a light blush appearing on her face

"I only speak the truth my lady. All other beauties in the world pale in comparison to you!" Stephen ended by taking both of Dawn's hands into his own, making her blush darken. "Only one thing can make this scene truly perfect." Stephen nearly whispered, inching his face closer to Dawn's

"And what would that be?" Dawn asked, trying in vain to contain the excitement in her voice

"Wake up Dawn." Stephen said, but not in a voice of his own

"Eh? What kind of romantic saying is that?" She asked, confusion on her face

"Come on Dawn wake up already!" Stephen said again, now sounding awfully like—

Dawn's eyes opened to see May standing over her, shaking her awake.

"Dawn, come on! Wake up!" May repeated

"I'm up! I'm up! Dawn replied, wiping the sleep from her eyes _"What on Earth was that dream about? Do I feel what I think I feel?"_

"Earth to Dawn!" May interrupted her, waving one hand in front of Dawn's face "Come on snap out of it!"

"Oh! ... Uh… sorry!" Dawn stuttered, hoping that May didn't look too far into her zoning out

"Not quite awake yet?" May asked

"I guess not." Dawn replied, a tiny bit of embarrassment in her voice

"Soooo…~" May began, obviously readying something "What were ya dreamin' about?" Dawn quickly tried to hide the sudden color in her cheeks, but May spotted it "Was it about maybe…Steeeeepheeeeennnnn~?" May continued, making Dawn blush even more

"NO!" Dawn retorted, a bit too defensively

"Are you suuure~?" May asked, obviously enjoying teasing her friend "I mean you were muttering his name in your sleep." If possible, Dawn's blush got even darker.

"I WAS?!" Dawn squeaked, panic obvious in her voice

"Teehee Don't worry Dawn." May began with a wink "Your secret's safe with me!" Dawn didn't know if she should be relieved or worried, so she tried to play dumb.

"What secret?" She innocently asked

"Oh come on Dawn!" May responded "First you go and talk to Stephen last night, fall asleep in his arms, and then he carries you back here! Don't tell me that you thought nothing of that event!"

"I fell asleep?! In Stephen's…. arms?" That last word came out as barely a whisper

"Yup!" May winked again "It was so cute! Stephen carried you all the way back himself and even tucked you in!"

"He did?!" Dawn exclaimed in disbelief

"That's not all!" May continued "He even gave you a kiss on the cheek before leaving! I nearly teared up just watching it!"

"_Stephen did all that for me? Even after I'm the one who brought up his parents?!" _Dawn thought to herself

"Dawn?" May interrupted her thought once again

"Hmm?"

"What's your plan now? Are you and Stephen gonna start dating?" May inquired, eager to hear her friend's answer

"I-I…I uh…" Dawn stammered, unsure of what to do. Finally she settled into a black stare at the end of her bed "I don't know what to do now. How do I know for sure if he likes me or not?"

"Oh come on Dawn!" May argued "What more do you need? Actually… talk to me a little first. How do you feel about Stephen?"

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked "He's a great guy, an awesome friend and he's already done a lot for me."

"Yes but I mean what do you feel…" May began, pointing to her heart "In here?"

"I…I'm not too sure." Dawn replied, her face showing deep thought "Can you be more specific?"

"I mean this… Do you feel anything when you look at him? Do you want to be by his side a little more than anyone else? Or do you even want him to just take you in his arms and hold you?" May listed

"Well… uh… I do worry a lot about his safety." Dawn admitted "I don't know what I'd do if he got really hurt."

"Mmhmm… ok." May nodded "That's a start."

"Also…" Dawn continued "I feel like… I can trust him more. He seems like a really honest guy. And… I did dream about him tonight, I will admit that. He is rather handsome to boot." That last comment brought a giggle out of both girls.

"So are you gonna do anything about it?" May finally asked

"What could I do? I mean I doubt he feels the same way. He did spend three years with Ash you know, and he's as dense about love as a Ryhorn." Again, both girls giggled at the idea

"Well… I think I may have a few ideas!" May piped in, and soon she began her rant about winning a man's attention.

An hour later, everyone in the Center was awake and eating their breakfasts. Ash was back from his training and our whole gang was happily sitting at a table while the two girls ate. They were all talking about old times, recent events, their new experiences or what have you. Either way, the atmosphere was friendly and the world was right for our heroes.

Dawn decided to break the silence with a question, directed towards our favorite brunette Pokemon Trainer.

"So… hey… Stephen?" She began

"Hm?" He replied, shifting his gaze towards the blunette

"What is the cape you wear for? I've been meaning to ask you for a couple days now." Dawn finished

"Oh this thing?" Stephen started, turning his over his shoulder to look at his cape for a moment "It reminds me of my dream; for when I'm finished journeying though all the different regions." He finished proudly

"Dream? What would that be?" Dawn inquired. Stephen shifted his gaze to the window to his left, looking at the wind blowing though the leaves in the morning sun.

"I want to help people." He stated simply

"Help people?" Dawn edged him to continue

"Yeah." Stephen replied, returning his gaze to meet Dawn's "You remember all of the criminal organizations Ash and I have met? There's Team Rocket, Team Magma, Team Aqua, and even Team Galactic from Sinnoh! I'm sick of all of these people using Pokemon to fulfill their selfish dreams! So I finally want to find a way to fight back!" Stephen raised a determined fist at this point "I want to create an organization of my own: A people's defense force of sorts. We'd have agents all over, willing to stop these organizations dead in their tracks!" Stephen lowered his fist again and looked down at the table "I mean we were just lucky at this point to be in the regions when each of those criminals took action. Imagine what would've happened in Sinnoh if we weren't there to stop Team Galactic!" He paused, letting his friends imagine, and they didn't like the outcome. "Basically, I want to make an Order dedicated to help those who can't help themselves, for the good of our world!" Stephen finished by looking up, a twinkle in his eye at stating his dream to his friends. They all simply looked at him, smiling at his noble dream. Not many can take it upon themselves to try to rid the world of evil.

"And here I just thought it was to make yourself look a bit more dashing!" Dawn teased, winking at Stephen, causing his face to flush a little.

"We—I—uh…" Stephen stammered, unable to think of anything to say. _"How the heck did she do that?!" _He thought to himself _"She just winks at me, and my mind just melts! Here I am going on a long rant about my dream and a simple wink makes me unable to even talk correctly! I hope this doesn't become a constant thing!" _However, Dawn had takes note of the young man's blush and had thoughts of her own.

"_So May was right then! He blushed!" _Dawn thought excitedly _"Maybe he does feel something in return! I don't want to scare him though… so maybe I should follow May's advice and give him small hints at first." _Ash interrupted the thought session with a suggestion

"Well maybe we should get moving soon guys." He stated "We should go find that new Route that Kyle told us about and I wanna reach Pewter City as soon as possible."

"Yeah that sounds good!" Stephen voiced, glad to be past that awkward wink from Dawn, and even happier to be able to speak again "I'll go grab my stuff." And at that he rose, leaving to pack his bag for traveling.

"I guess I'll go too. You girls finish eating and we can leave in a half hour or so alright?" Ash said, also rising from the table

"Ok! We'll be done eating soon anyways and be all set to go!" May happily chimed

"Alright we'll meet you out front whenever you're ready!" Ash said over his shoulder, walking after Stephen to their shared room. Once the auburn-eyed boy was out of range, May turned towards Dawn with a twinkle in her eyes.

"So I take it you noticed his blush too?" She asked, knowing Dawn would understand. Dawn simply nodded with a smile

"Yup! It looks like you may be right!" Dawn nearly squealed "But I don't want him to be too freaked out so I'll take it at my own pace alright?"

"Ok well try to not have too much fun." May replied with a wink, happy to see her friend in such good spirits "So what do you say we go get ready? We don't wanna keep the boys waiting on us now do we?"

"No need to worry!" Dawn said, rising from her seat "It doesn't take us THAT long to get ready." Once they brought their plates to the counter, the two girls walked to their room, unaware that they were being watched. Two people in trench coats were in the corner, seemingly doing nothing of note. However, they were watching, and waiting. One of them was much shorter than the other, and once the girls were out of sight, the taller of the two raised his hand to his mouth, a small device in his hand.

"Jess the twerps are going to meet up in front of the Center. Get ready." The male's voice said

"Roger that." The device replied, and then was silent. The two figures rose and left the Center, unnoticed by everyone in the lunch room.

"So what were you gonna call that Order of yours Stephen?" Ash asked, checking his backpack for all of the essentials needed for travel

"Well I haven't decided on a name yet." Stephen honestly replied, kneeling in front of his own bag at the foot of his bed "I was thinking of 'The Paladins of Steel.' What do ya think?"

"Paladins of Steel, huh?" Ash mused "Sounds like as a good a name as any." He finished by strapping his backpack onto his back, and waking up Pikachu, who had been asleep the whole morning. "Hey wake up Pikachu, we've got a big day ahead of us."

"_Pika?" _Pikachu mumbled, unused to sleeping in so late. He sleepily rose and looked at Ash, awaiting something.

"Yeah we're all set to head out." Ash told his companion "And don't worry about your breakfast; I've got some berries for you to eat." Ash finished, holding out some Sitrus berries.

"_Pikachu!" _Pikachu happily squeaked, taking a berry and jumping onto Ash's shoulder, munching away.

"You all set Stephen?" Ash asked, turning to his friend

"Yeah except for one thing…" Stephen replied; his back turned to Ash "I can't seem to find my PokéDex."

"Really?!" Ash exclaimed, disbelief in his voice "How could you lose it?"

"I'm not sure." Stephen responded, trying to hide the slyness in his voice, his plan working perfectly. "Maybe it slid under one of the beds or something?" He mused, turning around at last "You check under your bed and I'll look under mine."

"Ok, well I hope you're right." Ash replied, getting onto the floor to look under his bed. Much to his surprise, he immediately saw Stephen's PokéDex under his bed, turned on too! He grabbed it and brought it close, only to stop when he saw what was on the screen. Standing up, he could only manage to turn towards Stephen, who was standing with an ear-to-ear grin.

"Oh!" Stephen exclaimed in mock surprise "So it DID slide under a bed! Thanks for finding it." He began walking towards Ash to take his PokéDex back only to have Ash stop him, showing the screen to Stephen, which showed his basic record… and his name.

"When did you change this?" Ash asked, trying to hide the shock that clung to him

"Just this morning." Stephen replied "Mom was the first to find out… besides Professor Oak I suppose." Ash flinched when he heard Stephen say "mom", not used to hearing it from his friend…no…brother.

"So what made you change your mind?" Ash asked again, finally handing the PokéDex to Stephen

"Well nothing really." Stephen responded honestly "Just after last night, I realized that I can't keep clinging on the memory of… my real parents. Furthermore, you—our mom did technically adopt me. So she's my mother now too. I could just never bring myself to say it." Stephen finished with a smile towards his "new" brother, who simply smiled back. "Bro-hug?" Stephen offered, opening his arms. Chuckling to himself, still a little stunned about this revelation, Ash responded to his brother's offer and gave him a warm hug. **(A.N. Ash and Stephen are from this point onwards officially brothers. So if they address each other as such, you'll understand now.) **

The two finally released from their brotherly embrace and left the room, eager to resume their journey. The two returned their key to Nurse Joy, thanking her for the room, and left to wait for the girls in front of the Pokémon Center. After a few minutes, the girls appeared all set and ready to go. The gang was ready for more fun times, but sadly it wasn't to be. Suddenly, as the gang took their first steps, they were surrounded in a cloud of thick black smoke.

"What's the meaning of this?" Stephen demanded, coughing at the lack of clean air. His answer was the feeling of thousands of volts coursing through his body as he could only yell in pain. Ash took a step to help him, but was soon in the same situation, both unable to move.

"Ash!" May yelled, only to be cut off as a giant hand came out of nowhere and grabbed her, pulling her away from the group as she screamed in sudden fear of what was happening

"May! Stephen!" Dawn also yelled, but was then cut off as another hand came and grabbed her, pulling her away into the smoke. After she vanished, the electricity finally stopped attacking our two trainers, who fell to their knees in pain.

"Who are you?" Ash yelled into the smoke, which suddenly started clearing, thanks to what was revealed as a Dustox using Gust. Beside the Dustox was a giant Golem robot. Its eyes could be looked through to reveal two people piloting the mech. From two plates in the mech's back, two giant hands could be seen, holding on to the two struggling girls.

"Listen is that a twerp I hear?" an all too familiar woman's voice began

"He speaks to me loud and clear!" another male voice replied

"On the wind!"

"Past the stars!"

"In your ear!" a monotone voice joined in

"We bring chaos at a breakneck pace!"

"Dashing all hope putting fear in its place!"

"A rose by any other name's just as sweet!"

"When everything's worse our work is complete!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Meowth…"

"Putting you do-gooders in your place!"

"We're Team Rocket!"

"In your face!"

"Wobbuffet!" A fourth voice added

"What the hell do you guys want?" Stephen demanded, slowly rising to his feet

"Just leave us alone for once!" Ash added, also rising

"I'm afraid we can't do that twerps!" Jessie replied with a smirk "You see, since we've been so nice to simply ask for your Pokémon in the past only to be met with refusal, we've decided to take different measures."

"Either you give us all of your strong and rare Pokémon by tomorrow at midnight…" James began haughtily "Or you never see your girlfriends again!"

"Or" Stephen interrupted, reaching towards a Pokéball on his belt "We can simply take them back right now!"

"That's right!" Ash added, then looked to Pikachu who was beside him "Pikachu use Thunderbolt!"

"_Piiikaaaaa—" _ Pikachu began, as it charged its attack, only to be interrupted by Stephen

"Stop!" He shouted, throwing his hand out "You'll his Dawn and May if you shock the robot like that!"

"_Pika?"_ Pikachu questioned, cancelling the Thunderbolt as Jessie cackled at our heroes' misfortune.

"The twerp in the cape catches on quickly." She taunted "Now, come to the edge of Viridian Forest by midnight tomorrow and we just might let these two go. But before we leave…" She trailed off, turning towards James on her left. "If you would please James. Give them a little… motivation to find us."

"With pleasure!" James responded, typing on the robot's command console. Within a second, the mech's mouth opened, revealing several teeth that had electricity flowing between them. "Time to make sure the lesson sticks!" James shouted, slamming his fist down on a big red button. As he did, the electricity intensified and suddenly shot out on two arcs, one towards each of the two male trainers. Before either of them could react, they were hit once again with the intense voltage, each crying out in pain.

"Ash!" May called out

"Stephen!" Dawn called at the same time. After a few seconds, the electricity stopped, and each trainer fell once again to one knee, smoking slightly from the recent attack. Ash and Stephen slowly raised their heads to weakly glare at the criminals who held their friends hostage, but within moments, both of them passed out from their injuries.

"Wait Jess… why don't we just take their Pokémon now while the two of them are knocked out?" James inquired, realizing the situation before him. However, right as he finished talking, several police cars and their wailing sirens could be seen driving toward the mech from the distance.

"Does that answer your question?" Jessie retorted "Now come on, we have to get out of here!"

"I'm already on it!" James replied, typing away at the keyboard once more. At once, the arms holding the two girls retracted into the robot's hull and the hatches closed behind them. The Golem's arms and legs also did the same, along with the head. Then, much like the actually thing, the Golem quickly rolled away into the distance, crushing anything that tried to stop it. Police and Pokémon alike were no match for the tough hull, and Team Rocket quickly escaped, Dawn and May still captives. However, in all the commotion, nobody had noticed a small figure hop out of the Golem as it was folding up, as it quickly dashed into an alley and out of sight.

"Drat they got away." Officer Jenny sighed, watching the Golem robot roll off into the distance, her fellow officers tossed and bowled out of its path. Cars had been crushed and buildings dented, but amazingly nobody had been seriously injured. "Guess I'll need to call HQ about this one and get a warning out." She assessed, reaching for the radio on her shoulder, when she noticed two young trainers unconscious in front of the Pokémon Center. One had a Pikachu trying to wake him up, but to no avail. _"I guess they'll need help too." _ Jenny sighed again and began radioing for help.

Stephen woke to find himself lying on his back in a hospital bed. Quickly squinting for a moment to let his eyes adjust, he slowly rose and took in his surroundings. It was definitely a hospital room, odd machines here and there making their typical odd machine noises. There was a window to his right overlooking a courtyard, where a handful of people were sitting and relaxing, some with nurses to help in their respective recoveries. On his left was another bed, holding the raven haired man who Stephen had recently accepted as his brother accompanied by his faithful yellow Pokémon asleep at his feet. Wondering why he could be in a hospital bed, as he wasn't really sore anywhere, Stephen decided to see if Ash could enlighten him.

"Hey Ash you alright?" He called, trying to rouse the guy. His answer was having Ash simply roll over, turning his back to our caped hero, and resuming his slumber. Chuckling to himself, Stephen rolled onto his back and tried to remember what had happened to result in his hospitalization.

"_I remember that we were at a Pokémon Center. Then I called Mrs. Ket… mom… and told her about my name change. Then we were in the cafeteria eating until Ash and I went to pack our things up…. And then… and then….. nothing. I can't remember!" _Stephen finished with a hint of worry in his thoughts. _"Ok just shut up and think." _At this, Stephen rose and entered a pose much like the one Ash took to channel his Aura. Taking deep breaths to calm himself, Stephen resumed his thought process. _"Ok so we were going to continue on our path to Pewter City… but something stopped us. Something… attacked us." _Stephen recalled, the memory starting to reform. _"Something… or… SOMEONE! Team Rocket! They took Dawn and May!" _At the last thought, Stephen's eyes snapped open to reveal that his eyes were a deep shade of violet. He needed to act… now."ASH!" Stephen nearly yelled, turning his head to face his brother. His response this time was to see Ash sleepily rise from his sleep

"What's wrong?" Ash muttered, sleep still trying to cling to his voice "And where are we?"

"We're in a hospital." Stephen quickly explained, rising from his bed to gather his belongings, which had been placed at the foot of his bed "We have a problem though Ash… a big problem."

"What happened?" Ash asked, quickly rising from his bed, waking Pikachu in the process.

"Team Rocket attacked us in front of the Pokemon Center!" Stephen informed him, earning a shocked gasp from the raven-haired man. "They took Dawn and May and are demanding our Pokémon in return for their safety."

"They did what?!" Ash yelled "How could they do that?"

"I don't know… but I don't really care at the moment." Stephen answered, frustration in his voice "We need to get the girls back first."

"Well how do you propose we save them then?" Ask asked, unsure himself of how to save the girls. At this moment, a new voice emanated from underneath Ash's bed, startling both of the trainers.

"I tink I can help you get your goils back." A voice stated, as a white cat crawled out from underneath Ash's bed.

"Meowth?!" Both trainers exclaimed, shocked to see their long time enemy in their hospital room.

"What are you doing here?" Ash asked, once he had regained his composure

"I just said." Meowth replied "I want to help yous two."

"Why?" Stephen inquired, causing Meowth to look down with a forlorn expression on his fac

"Well it's a long story… but I'll give ya a summery. Jessie and James have changed since yous two vanished from da scene three years a-go." Meowth informed the two, who listened intently "Dey've actually had some success in missions after we couln't track ya down to go after dat Pikachu you've got up dere." Meowth pointed at Pikachu for a moment before continuing "And dey've gotten more… brutal too. Dey'd hurt da Pokémon we'd capture more and more stopping just short of pure torture!" Meowth shuddered "Well as a Pokémon myself I was pretty shook up by it. But now dey've been nabbin' people as well when dey can't nab the Pokémon! Da last straw was when dey took dose two goils of yours, when we already had a different mission. I'm worried about dem, 'cuz Jessie and James might seriously hurt 'em." The last sentence set Stephen's mind racing.

"_They've been doing what while we were gone?! Hurting People, torturing Pokémon, kidnapping?! Is this for real?" _Stephen thought, horrified at how much Team Rocket had changed in three short years.

"No offence Meowth… but…" Ash began, casting an accusing glance at Meowth before continuing "Are we supposed to just trust you now? Especially after all of the times you pretended to change and just stabbed us in the back!" Meowth was flinching at every word Ash said, knowing he was right

"Look I'm tryin' to help you out here!" Meowth argued, getting defensive "You do want to get your goilfriends back don'tcha?"

"One… they're not our girlfriends. Two: Of course we want to get them back! I just don't think we can trust you!" Ash argued, his voice getting a little louder. The argument would have continued, but Stephen decided to chime in with a plan.

"I think I have an idea." Stephen suddenly chimed in, having said nothing during the argument. He reached into his bag and took out a spare Pokéball and held it out, kneeling in front of Meowth. "I know you don't like these, but I think it's the only way I could trust you Meowth. If I caught you, then I could have a much easier time managing you, and keep you in line. Would you agree to being caught in order to stop your former teammates then?" Stephen concluded. Meowth thought for several seconds. It was true that he didn't like being inside of Pokéballs, and he saw Stephen's point that being caught would "keep him in line".

"Alright you can catch me." Meowth agreed "I know I did a lotta wrongs to you guys and I'm willin' to try and make it up to ya."

"Then we're at an agreement then!" Stephen happily noted, lightly tapping Meowth on the forehead, and sucking him into the Pokéball which didn't even shake once before clicking shut, confirming the capture. However, the ball then shrunk and the center button glowed red and refused to do anything else, much to our heroes' dismay.

"Aw man we forgot about that we can only carry six Pokémon at a time!" Ash cried out, frustration of the new problem beginning to show in his voice. Stephen simply rose and looked his brother in the eyes, raising an eyebrow.

"We forgot?" He joked "I knew this would happen Ash. And… I know how to deal with this little problem too!"

"And just how do you get around having only six Pokémon?" Ash inquired, curious about the supposed loophole

"Allow me to show you." Stephen replied, striding over to the door, a confused Ash following him. The duo walked to the main lobby, checked themselves out of the hospital since they had both recovered quite quickly from the attack. Heading outside, the two realized that it was pretty late in the afternoon, meaning they had been out for a few hours. Walking to the Pokémon Center, they both walked up to the phone booths. After sitting down and dialing in Professor Oak's number, they awaited the professor to answer the phone. After a few rings, the professor picked up the phone with his usual cheeriness.

"Why hello boys!" He greeted "What can I do for you today?"

"Hi professor!" Stephen chimed "I need a bit of help." He then raised Meowth's Pokéball "I just captured a new Pokémon and I need to take him with me. However, I don't want to send one of my usual team members back to the lab. I know this is a bit unusual, but can you override the Pokéball so that it gets sent to your lab but my new team member stays here?"

"Hm… that is an unusual request." The Professor mused "You know that Pokéballs function the way they do to stop trainers from overloading themselves with too many Pokémon correct?"

"Yes I know." Stephen replied, a bit curtly "But there's an emergency Professor and I really need this new team member."

"What's the problem?" Oak inquired, curious as to what could set the trainer off. It was then that he noticed something odd about Stephen. His eyes were violet. However, as much as it startled the professor at first, there was a bigger problem at hand, and decided to push the obvious question for a later date.

"Dawn and May were kidnapped!" Stephen stated "And this new Pokémon of mine will help greatly in saving them. However, I might need any of my normal team and I just want to have all of them in case of an emergency."

"Alright; I trust you. Just set the Pokéball down on the transfer machine beside the phone booths here and I'll take care of the rest."

"Right. Thanks Professor!" Stephen thanked, rising to go to the transfer machine. While he was turning the machine on so it cold boot up, Professor Oak turned to Ash.

"So just who kidnapped your friends Ash?" He asked, wondering who would stoop so low. Ash hesitated for a moment before answering.

"It was Team Rocket." He solemnly replied, earning a gasp from the professor.

"Is it the same three that I'm thinking about?" Samuel asked, knowing that Ash had been tormented for years by the same members of Team Rocket.

"Well… yes and no." Ash replied, wondering how to explain Stephen's new capture. "You'll see for yourself in a minute." In the meantime, the transfer machine had booted up and Stephen had placed Meowth's Pokéball onto the device. Walking back over to the phone, Stephen resumed his seat and informed the professor of his request.

"Ok Professor" Stephen began "If you can, can you somehow make it so the new Pokéball opens, but is then sent to your lab at the same time? It should make it so I can have all 7 of my Pokémon on me at the same time then. "Professor Oak considered the young man's request, it was decently thought out for someone so young. Finally nodding, the professor agreed to Stephen's request.

"Just give me a moment to enter the proper coding." Oak instructed, walking off screen to his computer. After a minute or so the transfer machine began to buzz to life, as the Pokéball glowed white. Just as it looked like it was about to vanish, it popped open and Meowth came out in a flash of white light, matching the Pokéball as it vanished to the lab in Pallet town. After looking around for a moment, Meowth realized he was in the Pokémon Center form earlier and calmly walked over to where Stephen and Ash were sitting in front of the video phone, just as Professor Oak reappeared to check if the plan worked.

"Yeah it worked just as planned Professor. Thanks a lot for helping!" Stephen informed the professor, as Meowth hopped up onto the counter in front of the phone.

"Stephen…" Oak began, his tone serious "Is that the same Meowth that I think it is?"

"Yes… he is." Stephen simply replied, glancing at Meowth "He wants to help us get Dawn and May back, and he agreed to let me capture him. He may have a dark past, but I know I can trust him." Meowth looked at Stephen with a shock expression at this point "If he can help us get the girls back then I don't care about his past. However, we have to get moving Professor. Team Rocket only gave us so long to give in to their demands before… consequences occur."

"Then go lad." Oak instructed "Save your friends. You have your Pokémon with you, and a new ally to assist your search. Good luck!" And with that closing statement, the phone screen went black as the call was ended. Ash and Stephen rose, ready to begin their rescue mission… when they encountered a problem.

"So uh… where were we supposed to go for the ransom?" Ash asked, dearly hoping that Stephen had the answer

"I…I'm not sure." Stephen solemnly admitted. _"That attack Team Rocket used on us with that… Golem robot seemed to have messed with my memory." _Stephen concluded mentally _"So how the hell are we supposed to find the girls now?!" _Fortunately for our hero, his new companion would already be set to save the day.

"We have ta go to da edge of Viridan Forest." Meowth informed the duo "I uh…I helped da two plan dere whole scheme from da start. Dey'll be waitin' for you though. Yous two might want to be prepared for a fight if ya want your goils back."

"Well then let's get a move on!" Stephen impatiently barked, quickly striding out of the Pokémon Center, earning concerned from Ash and the two Pokémon with him too.

"What's his problem?" Meowth asked Pikachu, who was standing next to him at Ash's feet

"_Pika pi Pikachu kachu chupi!" _ Pikachu explained to his new companion, who nodded in response

"So the caped twe—I mean Stephen has been actin' a little off since yous two hooked up with dem coordinators again huh?" Meowth rephrased, as Pikachu confirmed his answer with a nod. "Does dat explain why his eyes turned poiple den?" Pikachu shook his head at this question, and got to explaining

"_Pikachu chu pi Pika!" _Pikachu explained, as much as it knew anyways, earning a shocked expression from Meowth

"He can talk to Pokémon?" Meowth asked, earning yet another nod from Pikachu. Meowth was thinking for a moment, before he realized something odd about this explanation. "But hold on one second… He wasn't talkin' to no Pokémon at da time he called dat professor guy! Why would his eyes be purple den?" He asked Pikachu, who shrugged in response.

"_Pika Pikachu chuchupika." _Pikachu suggested, making Meowth think for a moment before he himself shrugged.

"Yeah I guess you got a point." Meowth admitted "I could just ask 'em myself once dis is all over."

"Speaking of which…" Ash began, having heard the entire conversation "We should probably get moving. Stephen seems pretty worked up and I don't want him to get hurt because he charged in without us." The two Pokémon nodded and accompanied the raven haired man as the three of them followed Stephen outside. After several minutes, they were walking towards the route when Stephen suddenly stopped.

"What's up Stephen?" Ash inquired, curious about the sudden stop

"Well we should probably think of a plan first. If what Meowth said was right, they could hurt the girls if we make one false move." Stephen said

"Good point." Ash replied "So what's your plan?" Stephen just looked down at this point

"I don't have one." He eventually stated, sadness evident in his voice. However, someone in the group DID have an idea!

"I tink I have a plan dat'll help ya out." Meowth suggested, causing all eyes on the group to congregate to him. "Jessie and James are probably expectin' you to try to resist dere plan. So, if just one of yous acts as like you came alone and gave up, den da odder can get around 'em and free the goils while dey're distracted!" Ash and Stephen both adopted faces of deep thought for a minute or two before they both looked at each other and nodded.

"Ok that sounds like a good plan to me!" Stephen added

"And I'll be the bait!" Ash suggested, only to be interrupted by Stephen

"No… I'LL be the bait!" Stephen retorted

"Why you?"

"Because even if they take my Pokémon away from me…" Stephen adjusted the sword at his hip for a moment "I'll still have a weapon."

"You forget that I have my Aura!"

"And YOU'RE forgetting that you're still in training! And… You need to concentrate to use your Aura!"

"Yeah?! Well…Well…. Oh fine!" Unable to think of an excuse, Ash threw up his hands in surrender and allowed Stephen to act as the bait for the rescue operation. The group then turned once again to face Meowth.

"Anything else about the rescue that we should know?" Stephen asked, eager to get on with the mission

"No I don't tink so." Meowth replied, scratching his chin in thought.

"Actually… I should probably tell my Pokémon about this plan. If they're going to be put at risk, they should have every right to voice their opinion about participating or not." Stephen stated, reaching for his Pokéballs. Meowth simply stared at him for a moment. He wasn't used to seeing a trainer care about the opinions of their Pokémon before. Jessie and James had hardly cared much for what Meowth did and didn't want. After Stephen released his Pokémon, who immediately sensed the unease of their trainer, he told them about the kidnapping and the rescue plan. As expected, none of Stephen's Pokémon were afraid of the risk. They've been through too much with their trainer to back out now.

"Thanks you guys." Stephen smiled, and then returned all of his Pokémon to their respective Pokéballs, except Meowth of course.

"Ok so we all know the plan?" Ash asked the group, getting nods from the rest. "Then let's go get May and Dawn back!" He called, resuming the pace towards the entrance of Viridian Forest.

"So Jess… Do you think the twerps will really take us up on our offer?" James asked his teammate as they both sat in a forest clearing. Dawn and May were both constricted by Seviper and Arbok respectively. All of their other former Pokémon were there as well. Carnivine was hanging from a tree limb, joined by Victreebell. Chimecho was floating above the group, ready to make noise at any sign of an intruder. Dustox and Yanmega were flying above the trees nearby also ready to intercept anyone brave or stupid enough to try to sneak up on the criminals. Cacnea was sitting by James, ready to block any sneak attacks that got through the defences, and Wheezing was floating around, looking for any opening in the lines.

"Of course they will. They're twerps after all." Jessie retorted, amusement in her voice "They're probably all bent out of shape right now as to how they're gonna save their precious girlfriends!" At this thought, Jessie cackled out loud for a few seconds, making her two captives glare at her. Then they turned their heads towards each other as much as they could, limited thanks to being tied up b the two serpentine Pokémon.

"Hey Dawn how do you think we're gonna get out of here?" May whispered

"I'm not sure. I can't move at all!" Dawn whispered back

"So we're just gonna have to wait for the boys to come and save us then?"

"As much as I hate to say it… it looks like it." Dawn said, as her head drooped, unfortunately, James had seen the two girls' exchange.

"Hey!" He shouted angrily "No talking! Seviper! Arbok! Separate the two!"

"Seviper nodded to Arbok, as the two slithered to opposite ends of the clearing, so that the girls could no longer talk to each other. After a few minutes of silence, Both Yanmega and Dustox started making some noise, followed by Chimecho warning the two criminals of an approaching trainer. Both members of Team Rocket rose and faced the direction it seemed the trainer was coming from. After a moment, Stephen emerged from a rustling bush, only to be met with several intense glares from both Rockets and their Pokémon. Seviper was at the far left of Stephen's field of Vision, while Arbok was at the far right. Jessie and ames were right in the middle, arrogance oozing from their stances.

"So twerp" Jessie mocked "Ready to hand over your Pokémon to get your girlfriend back?" Both Dawn and May gasped at the thought; Stephen and Ash both never gave up! This couldn't be real!

"Yes." Was all Stephen would say in reply, drawing another round of shocked looks from the two girls

"Stephen you can't be serious!" Dawn shouted

"Don't give into these crooks!" May followed, making James turn and snap at the two of them

"That's enough out of you two? Am I going to have to tell your restraints to punish you?" He threatened, causing May to shy away but Dawn remained unfazed.

"Stephen don't you even think of handing your Pokémon over! Just knock their Pokémon out and set us free!" She called, trying to knock Stephen out of his apparent state of surrender. James, however, was having none of it.

"Don't say I didn't warn you girl! Seviper! Shut her up!" James commanded with a wave of his hand. Seviper nodded and then proceeded to constrict itself tighter, causing Dawn to scream out in pain.

"ENOUGH!" Stephen shouted, unable to bear the sight of Dawn in pain. His hands were clenched into tight fists and his mouth had curled into a snarl. "JUST LET HER GO YOU BASTARDS!"

"Ohh~" Jessie taunted "The twerp's a little upset! What's the matter dear? Don't like it when we hurt your lover?" Stephen simply glared at the red haired woman, murder in his eyes.

"_Those fucking bastards!" _He thought mentally _"How dare they just treat her like this! If they so much as dare to hurt her again I'll…I'll…" _

"**KILL THEM!" **a new voice boomed from the confines of Stephen's mind, causing him to start a little from the shock **"KILL THEM ALL!"**

"_Who the hell are you?" _He thought, trying to figure out if he was hearing a psychic Pokémon or something.

"**BURN EVERYTHING! DESTROY THEM ALL!" **The voice droned on. It almost sounded like a man in his late thirties. It was a harsh voice, violence in its tone… if that was possible.

"_Look, I don't know who you are but I don't have time for this right now!" _Stephen yelled at the voice

"**You want to get her back, don't you boy?" **The voice asked, surprisingly calmly **"Submit to me, and I will free your friends."**

"_After your whole rant about killing everything?" _Stephen retorted _"I don't think so."_

"We're not going to wait around here all day twerp!" James shouted, interrupting Stephen's argument with the voice "Hand your Pokémon over or we kill the girls!"

"You wouldn't!" Stephen shouted in disbelief. He sincerely hoped Ash and Meowth were close to their positions.

"Oh but we would!" James replied with a snap of his fingers. At his command, Seviper brought its tail to Dawn's throat and gave it a purple glow, ready to strike at any moment.

"Now hand 'em over!" Jessie called, holding out her hand to make her point. Stephen returned to glaring at the two, unable to think of a way to save Dawn and May. Unless…

"_Oi!" _Stephen mentally called _"You still there?"_

"**What would you ask of me young one?" **The voice replied

"_What did you have in mind for stopping these crooks? I need to get my friends back!"_

"**The flame! You must use the flame!"**

"_Flame?" _Stephen asked, confused for a moment "_Do you mean the flame from my training exercise?" _

"**THE FLAME, BOY! FOCUS ON THE FLAME!" **

"_Ok! Ok! You don't have to yell!" _Stephen retorted, imagining the flame, and feeding all of his emotions into it. Jessie and James were just watching, wondering what the caped trainer was doing. He seemed to be just sitting there with his eyes closed.

"Uh… Jess?" James whispered to his team mate "What should we do? He's just standing there."

"Well we go through with our threat of course!" She whispered back "We'll give him one last warning though… snap him out of his little trance there."

"HEY! TWERP!" James shouted

"WHAT?!" Stephen hollered back, his eyes still closed.

"This is your last chance! Give us your Pokémon or the girl dies!"

Stephen simply stood there, arguing with this new voice in his head.

"_Ok I'm Focused now. What's next?"_

"**You must draw one of your emotions out of the flame! Use your anger! Teach these fools the meaning of pain!" **the voice commanded

"_Look I'm not going to kill them!" _Stephen argued _"I just need to save the girls!"_

"**You will never save your Auría unless you act!" **The voice yelled **"And if you won't act then I will!" **

As the voice finished its statement Stephen felt something grab at his consciousness. It overpowered his will through both sheer force and surprise and the voice was soon in full control of Stephen's body. He could feel "himself" Draw on the flame, pulling all of the destructive hatred into his own body.

"You peasants have mocked me for the last time!" Stephen shouted in a voice that wasn't quite his own. He sounded… evil for lack of a better word. His voice was full of hate, as if hate was the only emotion he felt right now.

"Stephen?" Dawn whispered to herself, wondering if something was wrong. She then noticed something odd taking place around her friend. Stephen's body slowly became enveloped in a vicious looking purple aura. It was different that the one Ash had however, as this aura looked more jagged, like a flame that tried to lash out at anything near it. Stephen's eyes were also fully purple, the color no longer limited to his irises.

"Now, I will teach you two the meaning of suffering!" Stephen called out, drawing his sword and entering a battle-ready stance. Team Rocket was simply staring at the young man in fear, unable to move at the moment.

"What the hell is this?" Jessie asked nobody in particular, snapping herself out of her daze "Pokémon! Attack this twerp! Teach him a lesson in what happens when you threaten Team Rocket!" At her command, all of the Pokémon excluding Arbok and Seviper threw themselves at Stephen, ready to send the young trainer into a realm of hurt. Stephen simply sneered and raised his blade. At once, purple particles began to form and channeled themselves into the sword, which took on a bright glow. With a swing of his sword, Stephen hurled a dark purple crescent moon shaped attack at the nearest Pokémon, which happened to be Wheezing. **(A.N. The attack looks a lot like Palkia's special rend attack in the movie… just a darker purple) **The attack his Wheezing full force and sent it flying to Team Rocket's feet, knocked out.

"What on Earth?" James shouted, shocked to see his Wheezing knocked out in one… "attack" While he was busy staring at his Pokémon, he failed to notice that Stephen was charging more energy into his sword and flinging more attacks at his assailants. The attacks were simply too fast for the Pokémon to dodge as they charged the caped trainer, and each of them were knocked out one by one.

Ash and Meowth were hiding in a bush, not too far from Arbok, watching all of this take place. What was happening to Stephen? What was that aura? How was he using his sword at a distance like that? So many questions, and no answers. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Ash turned to Meowth and snapped the Scratch Cat out of his trance as well.

"Meowth!" Ash hissed "We need to get ready! Stephen's still counting on us to uphold our part of the plan… even if it changed a little."

"Right." Meowth nodded, as it readied a Fury Swipes attack. At this point, Stephen had knocked out all of Team Rocket's Pokémon and stood facing the duo, who were trembling with fear.

"What do we do now Jess?!" James shouted, panic evident in his voice

"We still have the hostages you idiot!" Jessie snapped back "Hey! Purple twerp!" Stephen said nothing, just continued staring at the duo with his fully violet eyes. "Stop right where you are or we kill the twerpettes! Show them we mean business Arbok!"

"_Chaa bokka!" _Arbok shouted, readying itself to plunge its fangs into May, who was yelling in fear.

"Not so fast ya big lug!" A voice shouted, as Meowth leapt out of the bush and landed on Arbok's face, launching a big Fury Swipes attack. Arbok yelped in pain and shook its head back and forth trying in vain to shake Meowth off.

"Pikachu use Iron Tail!" A new voice called out, making the Rockets stiffen even further. At his trainer's command Pikachu charged out of the bush and ran towards Arbok, its tail a metallic color. Leaping up for his attack, Pikachu swung its tail at Arbok's face, and right before it made contact, Meowth hopped off, revealing a scratched up Arbok's face ready to receive a painful Iron Tail.

"_Chaa!" _Arbok yelped as it felt the attack hit his already sore face. Succumbing to the pain, Arbok fell sideways, knocked out from the attacks from the two Pokémon. Knocked out, Arbok's grasp on May loosened enough for her to wriggle free and run to Ash.

"Ash!" She squealed, wrapping her arms around him as soon as they were close enough "I knew you'd come to save me!"

"I couldn't just abandon you May!" Ash chuckled, returning her embrace. As he did, that warm feeling in his chest came back. It felt the same as when May hugged him last night. _"What is this feeling?" _Ash pondered _"I've never felt this before. It feels like I'm invincible!" _

"But we need to save Dawn yet!" May reminded him, reluctantly ending the embrace she was sharing with the raven-haired man. They both faced Seviper, still holding Dawn in his reptilian clutches. Pikachu was standing by for orders, and Meowth seemed lost in the moment as well, awaiting a command.

"Don't you twerps think for a second that you've won!" Jessie yelled, a vein in her head throbbing at the thought of losing to the twerps once again. "We still have the Sinnoh girl and we can kill her here and now whenever we choose!" Ash and the gang all froze. She was right. Pikachu was too far away to get to Seviper in time. A thunderbolt wouldn't work as it would hurt Dawn too. Meowth was too slow to get to her aid in time as well. They were out of options.

"_Hey!" _Stephen yelled at the voice, from the back recess he was pushed to when it took over _"You told me you could save Dawn! So get to saving!" _

"**These fools must pay for crossing me!" **the voice retorted **"They must learn a lesson in pain!"**

"_No! I called on whoever the hell you are so I could save Dawn! And I plan to do just that, with or without you!" _Stephen responded, making a grab for the control of his body back. The two entered a battle of wills, each trying to maintain control over the brunette's body.

"**They must pay!" **The voice wailed, realizing that he was losing **"Pay for the suffering they caused!"**

"_NO! I have to save Dawn!" _Stephen shouted in response _"Now get out of my body!" _And with one final "push" Stephen regained full control of his body, the purple aura vanishing, and his eyes returning to only having purple irises. He turned to face Dawn, and began slowly walking towards her, sheathing his sword. He either didn't notice Seviper hissing at him as he approached, or he didn't care.

"Seviper! Attack this twerp before he gets to you!" Jessie shouted, thinking Stephen was weaker without the aura he had around him a moment ago

"_Seviiiipaaaa!" _Seviper shouted, extending the uncoiled part of its body to bite at Stephen.

"Stephen, look out!" Dawn desperately shouted.

_**CRUNCH!**_

"Stephen!" Ash called out, seeing Seviper dig its fangs into Stephen's left shoulder. However, to everyone's amazement, Stephen almost… didn't seem to notice. In one swift motion, he grabbed his sword from its scabbard and slammed the blunt edge into Seviper's throat, making the serpent release its hold on him. Dawn also felt the hold on herself weaken as Seviper's whole body registered the pain. Wriggling around, she was able to free herself from Seviper's grip and she dashed off towards Ash and May, much to the distaste of Team Rocket.

"We're done for Jess!" James howled

"Well Seviper got a bite in on the caped twerp there, so he won't make it." She sneered

"Oh yes I forgot about that!" James replied, panic temporarily leaving his voice. However, he yelped once Seviper suddenly landed at his feet with a thud. Looking up, he saw Stephen and his Espeon glaring at the duo, Espeon's eyes indicating recent physic energy usage.

"Are you two about done saying your prayers?" Stephen called out, feeling weak for some reason. _"Did that snake hit something important?" _Stephen thought to himself, unable to think of any vitals in the shoulder _"Unless… Seviper's venomous…"_ He concluded

"OK Pikachu time to wrap this up!" Ash called to his partner "Use Thunder!"

"_Piiiiikaaaaachuuuuuuuu!" _Pikachu shouted, a mass of electric energy surrounding the rodent. After a moment of charging, Pikachu shot the energy at Team Rocket, causing an explosion and sending the evil duo and all of their Pokémon flying off into the distance.

"We're blasting off again!" They wailed, vanishing into the horizon with a twinkle. Our group of heroes smiled as they once again enjoyed victory over the villains who opposed them.

"You did it Ash!" May squealed, embracing Ash in another hug. He returned the embrace and the two laughed, relieved that everyone was alright. Dawn smiled at the two, before realizing what Stephen had done to help get her loose, and she wanted to thank him properly. Stephen had just returned Espeon, thanking his partner for his service… but something was wrong.

"Are you alright Stephen?" Dawn asked, walking over to her savior

"I… I'm not sure Dawn." Stephen replied, wobbling a little as he tried to walk over to Ash and May. At the fifth step, he froze. "Hey Dawn?" he asked, seemingly from out of nowhere

"W-what is it?" She responded

"Is it normal to not be able to feel your everything?"

"I uh… I don't think so?"

"Then… I think I have a problem." Stephen said, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he collapsed face first into the dirt.

"Stephen!" Dawn shouted, drawing the attention of both Ash and May, who quickly ran over to see what was the matter. Meowth and Pikachu trailed after them, concern evident on their faces.

"What happened?" Ash asked, panic starting to creep into his mind.

"I don't know!" Dawn replied, tears forming in her eyes as she knelt down to the collapsed trainer "He seemed a little out of it once he returned Espeon, then he just collapsed!"

"You mean you guys don't know!?" May asked the two, who both looked at her in confusion. "Seviper's venom is extremely toxic to people!"

"What?!" Dawn half-shouted, her voice cracking as she tried to keep her panic in check

"We need to get him to a hospital right away!" May ordered "Unless he gets treatment as soon as possible he could die!"

"I'll carry him." Ash said, picking Stephen up like a soldier would for his wounded comrade. "Let's go." And he turned towards Viridian City, taking off at a light jog so as to not drop his poisoned brother. May, Dawn, Pikachu and Meowth all jogged behind him, saying nothing. They were scared for their brunette friend. He hadn't seemed to care at the moment that Seviper was about to bite him. Why didn't he simply block the bite in the first place? Also… what was that purple aura supposed to be about? But there was no time to worry about these questions with their friend's life at risk. The group hastened their pace after several minutes, just as the city's skyline came into view. Stephen was starting to have trouble breathing, and he felt like he was burning up. He wasn't going to last much longer.

"_Stephen…" _Dawn thought to herself _"Please be alright. I don't know what I'd do without you! Please don't die!"_

**And that's it guys. End of chapter! What'd you all think? I would like to apologize for it taking a bit of time to write. I had some writers block in the beginning, and I've been thinking about future parts of the story and how I'm going to make them play out. But… how about all that plot huh? It thickens like Pea soup. What will the group do with Meowth now that the girls are saved? Will Team Rocket strike again? Will Stephen live through his poisoning?! Find out next chapter in MAY! A! NEW! DAY! DAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWNNNNN!**


	5. Chapter 5: Without You

May a New Day Dawn Chapter 5

**Hello everyone and I would like to kindly welcome you all to chapter 5 of May a New Day Dawn! I'd like to thank each and every one of you who viewed, favorite, followed, and reviewed this story so far. And speaking of reviews, I'd like to respond to the people who took the time to review my tale thus far. **

**Supermario642- Thanks! I made a character based off of myself mainly to keep me interested in writing the story. He also is present because… well… who doesn't want to imagine themselves in the Pokémon world? It's freakin' awesome!**

**HiroNinja- Glad to hear you like the story! I've been able to plan a lot of exciting stuff for the gang. Though it'll seem a bit slow at first, the story will quicken up fast. I want more than just Pokémon battles and gym matches in my story. I'd like to have deep character development, self struggle, and intense conflicts. Hope you continue to read until the end!**

**Guest- ok… not gonna lie to you guys… this is actually me. I was re-reading my story on my iPod checking for grammar mistakes, and I noticed the review button at the bottom. Thinking it wouldn't work… I left a review to myself. Noticing no immediate change, I thought nothing of it. Then… two days later, my own comment appeared. So… yeah…**

**Mukakta- I'd first like to thank you for leaving your concerns about the story in a comment. Let me say this, I was worried when I started writing that I'd focus too much time on my character and people might be upset. I can see that you at least are one of these people. But rest assured, I'm still very early in the story. This is maybe 1% of the whole tale and there is plenty of opportunity for more Ash and May scenes. Don't forget that I am an Advanceshipper myself so I won't leave them out. These early chapters are simply the stepping stones to the main chunk of my story. In fact… since Stephen seems to be rather… incapacitated at the moment (wonder if that was planned maybe?) He won't appear (or at least have any dialogue) in this chapter at all. (Sorry to those of you who liked him so far) But have no fear Mukakta, I will not leave Ash and May out of the story. The main conflict in fact deeply involves all four members of the group… they just don't realize it yet. Thanks again for your review and I deeply hope for your continued support. **

**I deeply appreciate all reviews and if you would be kind enough to leave a few thoughts about following chapters, past chapters, or what you think might even happen next, feel free! This counts for you guests too… you can leave a thought or two if you want. I'll start responding to reviews at the start of chapters, provided I have at least 4 or so… which should be one to two weeks or so apart depending on how much I'm able to come up with for the chapter. Now… without any further interruptions… let the tale… CONTINUEEEEEE!**

_Chapter 5: Without you_

It was early evening when our gang finally stormed into the lobby of the hospital, out of breath from the long trek. It was a simple entrance, looking an awful lot like the entrance to a Pokémon Center… just for people instead. There were several chairs along the walls, and some tables with magazines on them. A blonde nurse was sitting behind the front desk, filing paperwork as our heroes barged in the front door. Ash was panting heavily from carrying his brother on his shoulders, the later still not doing well after the Seviper bite. His breaths were short and ragged, and he still felt like he was burning up. Dawn and May were at either side of the raven-haired man, both winded but determined to help their friend. Pikachu and Meowth were behind the girls, following along as well. Luckily for our heroes, one does not simply barge into a hospital with someone on your shoulders without quickly attracting attention.

"Oh my gosh!" The nurse behind the desk yelped, rising from her seat and dashing to the wounded member of our party "What happened here?"

"He- got-bitten- by- Seviper." Has informed her, between his gasps for air

"A Seviper!" the nurse gasped, shocked at the injury "He needs an anti-venom right away!" The nurse then turned towards the hallway to the right and raised her hands around her mouth "DOCTOR WALSKI!" She shouted. After a few moments, a doctor walked in. He was wearing a traditional lab coat, stethoscope, and rubber cloves. His hair was black, but with a touch of grey on the edges. Dr. Walski was not an elderly man, but his face showed years of experience.

"What's going on he- GREAT SCOTT!" The doctor began, and then shouted, noticing the caped trainer's condition "What's his status nurse?" He then asked, turning to the nurse from the lobby

"Seviper bite." She simply informed him

"We need to administer an antidote quickly then!" The doctor ordered, pointing to a little nook where stretchers were located "Get him onto a bed and we'll begin the administration." Ash complied and walked over to a bed, placing Stephen gently down onto the mattress. Soon afterwards, a new nurse came and wheeled the young man away behind a set of double doors. As the group made their way to follow the doctor, a nurse's outstretched hand stopped them.

"I'm afraid you'll all have to wait out here." She informed the group, much to their dismay

"Can't we see him?" Dawn asked despairingly

"I'm afraid not." The nurse replied, shaking her head for a moment "The doctor will need to inject the anti-venom in key areas of your friend in order to save his life. If he gets the injections wrong… it could only make his condition worse."

"But…" Dawn began, only to be cut off as May placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Turning to her friend, Dawn simply looked down, defeated.

"Hey come on Dawn… cheer up!" May tried to comfort the blunette "You've seen how tough Stephen can be in the past. No need to worry right?" Dawn acquired a small smile at hearing her catchphrase repeated back to her in order to make her not worry… the sheer irony of it all.

"Yeah He'll be alright. Stephen's in capable hands now." Ash added "Now why don't we go out and get something to eat? I'm sure Stephen'll be better by the time we're done."

"I'm actually not really hungry." Dawn lied. "Being captured and crushed by a big snake tends to chase away your appetite. Why don't you two go out and eat instead? I'll go re-rent our rooms at the Pokémon Center.

"Are you sure?" Ash asked, thinking there may be more behind her decision

"Yes I'm sure!" Dawn replied, and then she got an idea. May was nice enough to give her advice about how to approach Stephen, so she was going to return the favor a little. "I'll be fine. You two just go out and enjoy your date!" She said with a wink towards May, who was blushing a deep shade of red upon hearing Dawn's comment

"Date?" Ash pondered, not used to hearing the word, but he didn't have time to think for long as May jumped in front of him and grabbed his hand, leading him towards the door.

"I think she meant to say dinner, right Dawn?" May exclaimed, not really wanting her to answer "Right well ok let's go eat!" And at that, the couple disappeared out the door, leaving a giggling Dawn, and a very confused Meowth and Pikachu behind them.

"_Are tings around yous guys always dis weird_?" Meowth asked the rodent

"_Pika Pikachu." _Pikachu replied, hoping in his gut that this odd change would pass quickly.

"Well, now that they're gone, why don't we all go eat at the Pokémon center?" Dawn asked the two Pokémon, making Meowth leer at her with suspicion.

"_I thought yous said yous wasn't hungry." _Meowth pointed out, making Dawn giggle again and raise a knowing finger

"Oh that was just a little fib so that Ash and May could enjoy some alone time together!" Dawn revealed "Now come on, let's go!" She finished, walking towards the exit, Meowth and Pikachu finally getting an idea of what was going on.

"_What was I tinkin' joinin' up wit you guys? I'll be the host of teen matchmaker at dis rate." _Meowth joked, following Dawn with Pikachu beside him. After a short walk to the Pokémon Center, Dawn re-rented the same two rooms that our gang had the previous night. After placing her gear in her room, Dawn went to the lunch room with the two Pokémon. Dawn had ordered a soup, while Meowth enjoyed a burger and Pikachu had some Poffins that were donated, with ketchup on top of course. While the three of them enjoyed their meal, Meowth's thoughts set to wandering.

"_So I'm a trainer's Pokémon now…" _Meowth began _"It's odd though… I don't quite feel what I was tinkin' I'd feel. All da Pokémon we nabbed over da years seemed really close to dere trainers. I thought it had somethin' to do wit dem Pokéballs somehow. But even before that caped twe- Stephen… caught me, he seemed like an ok guy. Maybe he'll let me stick around. Although… after all da sufferin' I helped cause to dese guys… I don't tink I'd blame 'im if he left me under a rock of sometin'… _Meowth concluded glumly.

May was dragging Ash throughout the streets of Viridian City, completely lost in thought.

"_What was Dawn thinking saying Ash and I were going on a date?" _She asked herself _"I mean I'd like to… but I'm so nervous to actually ask him out to one! Knowing him, he'd think it was for a battle or something. I swear he's so dense about love… I just might need some outside help if I'm gonna teach him about it. Oh well… might as well enjoy the alone time I have with him now." _ May continued thinking, until Ash's voice broke through her thoughts and made her stop.

"Hey uh… May?" Ash began "Where exactly were you planning on leading me anyways?" May looked at her hand, realizing it was still holding onto Ash's and her cheeks flushed red again. Quickly letting go, much to her disappointment, she turned around and scanned the local buildings for restaurants. Ash on the other hand, felt a strange feeling when May let go of his hand. Was it maybe… disappointment? Looking at his hand, Ash mused over what he was feeling for a moment. Ash shook his head before clearing his thoughts. He could think about this all later anyways. For now, he had one goal: filling his stomach. Quickly looking around, he spotted a noodle restaurant. Remembering that May loved noodle restaurants, he tapped her shoulder to grab her attention.

"What is it Ash?" She asked, still a bit flustered from earlier.

"I think I found us somewhere to eat!" Ash announced excitedly

"Where?" May asked, taking a quick scan on local buildings, not really seeing them in her haste, and turning back to Ash.

"I'll show you!" Ash replied as he took May's hand, much to her astonishment, and led her in the direction of the noodle restaurant. _"I need to talk to someone about this feeling." _Ash mentally noted, noticing how his chest and face both felt warm when he re-took May's hand. Once the two had reached the restaurant and walked in, they waited for a waiter to direct them to a seat like a sign by the door instructed. After a short wait, a tall waiter with black hair gelled into a mullet approached and greeted the two young adults.

"Greetings and welcome to Noodle Garden." The waiter greeted with a bow "Would the young couple prefer a booth of a table?" The two looked at each other for a moment before really hearing what the waiter really said.

"Uh… we're not actually a couple." Ash told the waiter, who raised an eyebrow at the two, who were still holding hands, as if to say "really?"

"Very well." He started "But the question remains the same: Booth or table?"

"Booth please!" May piped in, desperately wanting the awkward situation to be over. With another quick bow, the waiter escorted the two to a booth by the window. As they sat down, he placed two menus onto the table and pulled out a small memo pad.

"And what would you like to drink?" He asked, getting a pen ready

"I'll take some Oran juice." Ash replied

"And I'd like a Pecha juice please!" May added

"Very good." The waiter replied, writing the orders down "I'll return in a few minutes to take your orders." And with a final bow, the waiter left.

"Huh… Well let's see what's on the menu shall we?" Ash inquired, opening the menu to see what he could order. After looking the menu over for a few moments, Ash found just what he wanted to order: A chicken flavored Ramen with sliced eggs floating in the soup and some vegetables. As he set his menu down, Ash noticed that May hadn't even touched hers, and simply looked out the window. "Is everything alright May?" Ash asked, concern showing in his voice.

"Huh?" May began, turning to face Ash "Oh yeah I'm fine! I just already know what I'm gonna order so I don't need to see the menu."

"The Ramen with bits of shrimp and crab in it right?" Ash asked, remembering her favorite ramen type.

"Yeah actually!" May replied, a little shocked that Ash remembered such a small detail about her "How'd you know?"

"Well… it is your favorite… isn't it?" Ash asked May, who simply nodded in response. A brief awkward silence passed between the two, May shocked that Ash had both noticed a small detail about her, and from the earlier hand grab. Did he possibly have some feelings for the brunette? Was his denseness finally leaving? Only time would tell she supposed. Ash on the other hand, was wondering why he felt the way he did when he was around May again after so long. He had missed her of course. He missed all of his friends; but May in particular seemed to be on his mind the most while he was away training. Maybe Stephen could tell him more… once he got out of the hospital of course. Fortunately for our two heroes, the waiter came along with their drinks and unknowingly broke the awkward silence. After taking their orders and leaving the two of them alone once more.

Sipping at her drink, May decided to take it upon herself to break the silence between the two of them.

"So hey Ash?" She began, grabbing the raven-haired man's attention "What kinds of training did you and Stephen do exactly for the three years you were gone?"

"All kinds!" Ash started, happy to be talking about training… like always "We started off with just training our Pokémon by battling each other a whole bunch… but that only helped a little. After a while we realized that we needed to train ourselves along with our Pokémon. That's when Stephen and I started getting up early and training beside our Pokémon. The results were pretty amazing! Our Pokémon were amazed that some humans wanted to train themselves as hard as they trained, and their full potential was clearly beginning to come out! It was around then… about 1 year in I think. That we were at a Pokémon Center and happened to see some contests on the T.V." May leaned in a bit at this point, her interest peaked upon hearing the mention of contests "We happened to see some shows from both you and Dawn and learned quite a lot!" Ash beamed at May "Stephen got the idea for our fusion attacks by watching you and Dawn combine your moves for the appeal rounds."

"He just changed them up a bit right?" May asked, earning a nod from Ash

"Right. Instead of the two attacks one after the other, he had the idea to use two moves at the same time. Let me tell ya, the Pokémon were skeptical at first, I mean who has ever tried using two attacks at the same time!? But, after seeing Stephen's Espeon pull off the first successful Fusion Attack, the rest of our Pokémon got motivated and soon they were all pulling off perfect combos! You've seen the power of those attacks when Pikachu used Iron Tackle on Kyle's Nidoking yesterday."

"Yeah it was really something else!" May happily replied "But you said that Stephen's Espeon pulled off the first Fusion Attack… what was it?"

"Well…" Ash began "I wouldn't wanna ruin the surprise, but I can give you a clue I suppose. It's an attack that Stephen likes to call Starstorm."

"Starstorm?" May repeated, wondering what the attack could look like.

"It's something else all right… one of Stephen's favorite attacks actually." Ash continued, taking a big spoonful of noodles. The two of them ate in silence for about a minute before May asked another question.

"So… where exactly did you two go for all of your training then?" She wondered

"Oh all over!" Ash answered "We started here in Kanto by going to extreme climates. Sadly there aren't really that many here. We went to Johto then to train on top of Mt. Silver for a bit..." Ash trailed off to shiver, remembering the blistering cold of that damned mountain "But then we left for other climates. We then went to train in the desert on Route 111 to get used to extreme heat." Ash continued, but was interrupted by May

"So you came to Hoenn?!" She asked, a slight bit of anger in her voice "Why didn't you visit?"

"Uh… well…" Ash began, unable to think of a proper answer _"Why didn't I visit May?" _He asked himself _"It would have been easy to simply stop in Petalburg City and see if she was home._ Well… I didn't know whether you'd be home or not and I didn't want to be a bother on your family." Ash responded, hoping it was convincing enough. May just looked at him with suspicion in her eyes. He didn't want to be a burden on her family? Since when did he consider himself a burden? Was there maybe some other reason that Ash didn't want to visit? Did it involve her in any way?

"Well you could have just called then to see if I was home." May pouted, as Ash slapped his forehead.

"I didn't even think of that!" He nearly shouted, drawing a few disapproving looks from other people in the restaurant. "I was so busy training that the thought hadn't even crossed my mind! I mean I really wanted to visit you but I was so nervous that I…" Ash started, but quickly cut himself off.

"Nervous?" May asked him, and herself "What could you have to be nervous about?"

"Nothing… I can't really say why." Ash replied, ending the discussion. May's mind set to working overtime again to think of what Ash would be nervous about.

"_Did he think that maybe I didn't want to see him?" _She pondered _"Or maybe… something else…" _

"But hey… enough about me. What have you been up to May? I've only caught a handful of your Contests on T.V. How've they been going?" Ash asked, changing the subject. May noticed his eagerness to change the topic of course, and she wasn't ready to let him off that easy. But for now, she'd humor him.

"Oh the contests weren't that special." May began, waving a hand as if to brush off the idea "I lost some of course, but for the most part I did pretty well. Drew hasn't left me alone yet. He keeps trying to ask me out on dates before nearly every contest." Ash's face seemed to grow a bit colder at the mention of Drew "Harley was a good opponent for a bit too. Sadly, I haven't won a Grand Festival yet. I did come in a close second at the Kanto Festival last year though!"

"That's great May!" Ash congratulated "Second place among the hundreds of coordinators that signed up is a feat to be proud of!" May's face lit up upon hearing the raven haired man's praise. She had missed his cheery attitude for the three years he was gone. Almost as much as she missed his warm smile, his warm chocolate colored eyes, and his can-do attitude. Several more minutes passed as the two talked and ate, both happy to be in the presence of the other. After a time, and several bowls of noodles, the waiter returned to bring the two their bill.

"Your bill." The waiter stated, placing a black leather wallet-looking thing on the table. Inside was a piece of paper that was assumed to be the bill. Before May could look at the total to pay half, Ash grabbed the bill and opened it.

"I'll pay for the meal. Don't worry about it." Ash stated, reading over each expense on the piece of paper. May simply crossed her arms and smiled slyly at the young man.

"Ash Ketchum, since when did you turn into such a gentleman?" She asked, earning a light chuckle from Ash.

"Three years can change a lot about a person May." Ash cryptically replied, frowning as he read the total of their bill. He hadn't realized that they walked into some sort of fancy-shmancy noodle restaurant. There was no way he normally would have been able to afford something like this! Setting the bill down, Ash pondered his options. He could easily pay for the bill… but it involved something he was sworn to keep hidden. He didn't like not telling May about it, but then again simply paying the bill wouldn't reveal the whole thing. May would understand… hopefully. While Ash was thinking, May had snatched the bill and gave it a quick look-see. Seeing the total, her eyes nearly bulged out of her head as she gasped at the insane prices. No wonder their Ramen had tasted so good! Biting her lip, May wondered just how badly Ash would be in debt after paying the bill. However, much to her surprise, Ash pulled out some odd coins from a side pocket of his backpack and set them on the table. The coins had a picture of a woman on the front. She seemed to have long hair and a warm smile. The back had a Castle on it with the letters K.O.R. Taking out a couple of Gold coins and 3 Silver ones, Ash placed the money on the table and awaited the inevitable.

"Ash what kind of money is this?" May asked, gesturing to the coins on the table. Ash's face showed a sign of discomfort.

"It's a currency from… a foreign place." Ash said. May looked ready to ask him to be more specific but Ash silenced her with a raised hand. "Believe me I want to tell you May… but I can't. I hate having to hide this from you, but I swore an oath of secrecy. Can we leave it at that please?"

"Yeah that's fine Ash." May responded, feeling slightly hurt that he wouldn't… well… couldn't share a piece of information with her.

"Let me make it up to you!" Ash began, rising from his seat.

"Oh, Ash you don't have to do anything. You were already nice enough to pay for the dinner. I couldn't possibly ask you to pay for anything else!" May responded, fearing Ash was going to spend all of his money on her

"I didn't think Ice Cream was THAT expensive now." Ash replied with a smile. May smiled back in return. She liked Ice Cream. Who didn't?

"Well in that case, sure!" May replied, rising from her seat and standing next to Ash. "I hope you don't mind if I get a double scoop." She added with a wink, earning another chuckle from Ash.

"Well then in that case I'll have to get a double scoop for myself too! We can race to see who eats it faster!" Ash suggested as the two left the restaurant

"You're on!" May responded to the challenge with a determined fist. "But what do I get when I beat you?"

"What do you mean WHEN you beat me?" Ash asked her with a raised eyebrow, the fires of a challenge igniting in his chest

"Exactly what you think I mean Mr.!" May retorted, poking Ash's side with her finger "So when I win the race of ours, what do I get?"

"Well…" Ash began, wondering what a good thing to bet would be. Unable to think of something, he responded with "What do you want?" May's eyes glinted as she immediately got an idea, and she was unable to hide the co smile that lit up her face.

"Well~" She began "How about… you have to hold my hand all the way back to the Pokémon Center?"

"That's it?" Ash asked, secretly liking her idea. However, May took his question as a challenge and decided to up the ante a little.

"Well it that isn't good enough for you… how about we have to link arms then?" May replied, searching Ash's face for a clue as to how he took her idea. To her disappointment, she saw only a blank stare in return.

"Link arms?" Ash asked, making May sweat drop. Or course… this was ASH she was talking to. He wouldn't notice romance if it bit him on the ankle.

"I mean like this silly." May replied, as she linked her left arm with Ash's right arm. She was glad that Ash was slightly taller than her as it made hiding her blush much easier. Ash also noticed a change in himself. He felt the same warmth in his chest as when May simply held his hand. However, she was closer this time. And with this closeness… came an even more noticeable warmth. He liked linking arms with May… but why?

"_Just what is this warmth I'm feeling?" _Ash asked himself again _"I hope Stephen gets better soon. I don't know if I trust Dawn to not tell May if I ask her about this."_

"Ash?" May replied, seeing the look on Ash's face

"Oh uh… what?"

"You spaced out for a minute there. Everything alright?"

"Yeah… I was just thinking of what you have to give me when I beat YOU!" Ash retorted with a playful smirk, making May unlink herself from him so she could place her hands on her hips.

"Oh is that so?" She began, her own fire igniting as the challenge intensified "Well ok Mr. Confident, what do I have to do if you somehow beat me?"

"You have to cook all of our meals for a week!" Ash informed her with a smirk, his eyes daring her to complain about the terms. To his amazement, she accepted and held out her hand to finalize the bet. The two quickly shook hands and finished resumed their trip to the ice cream shop, eager to best the other in their little game.

Dawn had just finished her meal at the Pokémon Center, and was watching with a smile as Pikachu played a game of tag with other Pokémon that trainers had brought with them. Pikachu had started a friendly game and the Pokémon were all happily running around the Center as they laughed and played their game. It was nice to take a break from training and battling every now and again. Dawn giggled to herself as Pikachu dodged a Squirtle who slid into the wall and ended up on its back. After righting itself, the turtle Pokémon smiled and resumed its chase of the electric mouse. Turning her head, Dawn noticed that Meowth was pretty much the only one in the room not laughing as the Pokémon played their game.

"What's wrong Meowth?" Dawn addressed the feline "You seem a little out of it." Glancing at the blunette for a moment, Meowth sighed to himself and gathered his thoughts.

"_Well if ya gotta know_." He began "I was just tinkin' about what I'm gonna do after I leave yous guys."

"What do you mean leave us?" Dawn asked, tilting her head a bit in confusion

"_Well wit all da trouble I caused yous guys over da years… I wouldn't blame 'em if Stephen decided to toss my Pokéball under some rock somewhere if he wakes up."_ Meowth replied

"Stephen would never do that!" Dawn retorted, her voice a little louder than she meant to make it. "He DID capture you right?"

"_Well yeah but I don't see da point of—"_ Meowth began, only to have Dawn cut him off

"Then Stephen meant to keep you with him!" Meowth looked at the blunette, scanning her expression. From what he could tell, she meant every word of what she was saying.

"_Would he really keep me around?" _Meowth thought to himself, only to have Dawn interrupt his thoughts again

"And since Stephen caught you, you're a part of the family now. You'll be coming with us on all sorts of adventures!" She told the cat, who simply stared off into space, letting those words sink in. After a moment, Meowth still wasn't sure.

"_You really tink so?"_ He asked

"Of course!" May smiled at the cat "You may have caused us some trouble in the past, but you did help Stephen and Ash save May and I so we're in your debt for that." Meowth still looked a bit skeptical, but was slowly growing more relieved at hearing the coordinators words of encouragement "If you really wanna be sure, you can just ask Stephen yourself when he wakes up!"

"_IF he wakes up…" _Meowth mumbled to himself. Unfortunately, Dawn happened to overhear him

"What do you mean if?" She asked, growing a bit defensive now "He's going to be just fine!" Meowth responded to Dawn's statement by giving her a level gaze.

"_You ever been bitten by a Seviper before?"_ He asked_. _

Well… no. Why?" Dawn admitted, wondering where Meowth was going with this

"_Then yous don't know just how worried yous should be." _Meowth stated _"May told yous guys that dem Sevipers is poisonous, but she didn't say just how poisonous we was talkin' here."_

"Well… just… how poisonous are they?" Dawn asked, getting slightly worried

"_Very." _Meowth responded _"Let me put it like dis. I'm actually shocked dat Stephen was still even breathin' by the time we got to dat hospital when we did."_

"Why?" Dawn inquired, not sure if she really wanted an answer

"_Because he shoulda kicked da bucket within minutes of bein bitten." _Meowth answered, sounding glum. Dawn simply stared at the cat, too shocked to say anything. Was Stephen going to be alright? Meowth seemed to see the worry he caused the blunette, and the guilt tore at his little Pokéheart. _"Hey I'm sorry for makin' ya worry. Like May told ya though, if he lived dat long, it's probably a good sign dat he'll pull through." _Dawn cracked a weak smile as she rose, making Meowth wonder what she was doing.

"Well since I'm done eating I'm gonna go wait at the Hospital for when Stephen wakes up." Dawn told the cat, who stood up as well.

"Den I'm commin' wit ya." He announced, making Dawn smile at the feline. He seemed to be taking a liking to his new trainer already.

"Alright but I need to take care of one thing first." The blunette said as she turned towards Pikachu, still playing his game of tag with the other Pokémon. "Hey Pikachu can you come here for a sec?" She called. Pikachu quickly told his friends he would be back, and ran over to Dawn, hopping up onto the table so they could talk.

"_Pika?" _He asked

"Meowth and I are heading to the hospital to wait for Stephen. Did you wanna come along or were you going to wait here for Ash and May to get back?" Dawn asked the rodent, who stood there in thought for a few moments before answering.

"_Pikachu Pika chu chu Pikapi!" _He squeaked. After seeing the vacant expression in Dawn's eyes, Pikachu turned to Meowth, hoping for a translation.

"_He says dat he's fine stayin' here and waitin' for May and Ash to come back." _Meowth interpreted

"Alright then!" Dawn replied "Then I guess you'll need one of these!" As she spoke, she reached into her bag and grabbed out a key attached into a stretchy chain. "Whenever you get done playing you can use that key to get into your room ok?" She told the mouse, handing him the key.

"_Pika Pikachu!" _The mouse happily squeaked, putting the keychain around his neck so it wouldn't get lost.

"That's everything then!" Dawn announced "Let's get going Meowth!"

"_Right behind ya." _Meowth replied, hopping down from the table and following Dawn out the door. After his two friends left, Pikachu happily resumed his game with the rest of the Pokémon in the Center.

Ash and May were both walking towards the Ice-Cream stand, talking and laughing with each other. They still had their little bet in mind, but they knew it'd be good fun. Before long, Ash saw what he was looking for. A minivan with a giant ice-cream cone on it was parked along the road. Inside was a nice looking old man who was selling ice-cream to whoever would buy it. Beside the window was a big menu that looked to have nearly a hundred different flavors of ice-cream. As the two walked up to the shop, the kindly man greeted the two.

"Ah, well hello young ones!" The man greeted with a smile "What can I get the young couple today?" May's face flushed red as he asked his question. Why did everyone think they were a couple?

"We're not a couple sir." Ash informed the man, sounding surprisingly formal. The old man raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so? Well maybe I can fix that here." He stated with a chuckle, making May blush even more. She counted her blessings that Ash was too busy looking at the menu to notice her face.

"I recommend the third one from the bottom!" The man said, slightly leaning out from the window, once May had moved next to Ash to look at the menu too. Ash's eyes went down the list, trying to locate the flavor that the man had suggested. Upon locating the flavor, Ash read the description.

"Luvdisc Lemonade" Ash read aloud "A delicious tasting cone that tastes like lemonade, made from a tantalizing mix of MooMoo milk and fresh lemons, but is pink like strawberry. Ideal for couples." May's face just got darker and darker red as Ash read the last part, but Ash was too busy thinking about the flavor, not really noticing what he just read. The description of the flavor was simply too much for the young trainer, and he also remembered that May had a liking for lemonade. It seemed perfect. Rising, he looked at May to ask her opinion, but she looked all red. "Are you alright May?" Ash asked, oblivious to her reason for blushing.

"I-I'm fine." May stuttered, trying to hide her blush by turning her head away, much to Ash's confusion.

"Well if you say so." Ash half-mumbled. He then turned to the man in the minivan and decided to place his order. "I'd like two double Luvdisc Lemonades please!"

"Coming right up young man!" The old man replied, vanishing from the window to make the ice-cream. May had heard Ash's order and looked at Ash with a shocked expression.

"Why did you just order for me?" She asked Ash.

"Well you seemed to be looking at something else so I decided to just order for you." Ash put simply, much to May's annoyance. "Besides, you like lemonade right?"

"Well yeah but—" May began, but trailed off. This was the second time tonight that Ash had remembered one of her favorite foods. Sure it seemed like a minor thing, but it meant a lot after not seeing someone for three years. "You could have just asked me first." May finished, trying to sound angry but failing.

"Sorry May." Ash apologized, thinking May might be angry at him "I just thought you wouldn't really mind either way what flavor I got you."

"It's fine Ash." May reassured the young raven haired man "I'm sure your choice will taste just fine." Ash smiled back, glad that she wasn't mad at him. "Next time just ask me ok?"

"Deal." Ash replied. The two smiled at each other for a moment before the old man from the shop poked his head out the window, holding onto two ice-cream cones. They both had two scoops of pink ice-cream on them and looked absolutely delicious.

"Order up!" He called, smiling at the two youngsters as they took their ice-cream.

"How much do I owe ya?" Ash asked, taking out his wallet.

"Oh I couldn't possibly charge the two of ya on a night such as this! Take 'em on the house!" The old man replied, much to the delight of the two trainers

"Wow thanks Mr.!" May cheered, eying the cone in her hands, eager to beat Ash at their bet

"Are you sure?" Ash asked again, still holding out his wallet

"I insist!" The man continued "You two look like a nice couple… of friends" He added coyly, making May blush yet again. She seemed to be doing that a lot tonight. "Now go and enjoy the evening."

"Well then, thanks!" Ash thanked the man, putting his wallet away "Come on, May! We have a bet to finish!"

"Right!" The coordinator replied "Ready to lose Ash?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing?" He retorted teasingly, making May huff in defiance.

"Time to eat those words Ash!" May teased, walking towards a bench so the two could eat in peace

"More like time to eat this ice-cream!" Ash replied, making May sweat-drop

"That… was a bit lame Ash." She told him, as Ash simply rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah well… let's start on the count of three alright?" At a nod from May Ash began his countdown "One…two…THREE!" And on three, the two young adults began munching their ice-cream down with all the speed they could muster. Despite their apparent lacking of table manners, onlookers would smile at the two trainers, noticing their ice-cream flavor. Luvdisc Lemonade was well known as the flavor that two kids on a date would buy. They seemed a good fit for each other, both of them eating their ice-cream as if the world depended on it. After mere minutes, they were both munching down their cones, the ice cream either eaten, or all over their faces. It was coming down to the wire, and just as it looked too close to call, Ash took a massive chomp of the last of his cone and chewed it up, sealing his victory. May was mere moments behind.

"And Ash takes the win!" Ash cheered, rising from the bench.

"Well… you beat me." May told him, sounding almost… sad. This, of course, did not go unnoticed by Ash.

"You really wanted to beat me huh May?"

"_More than you know." _She thought "Well yeah, I did say I was gonna beat you dummy!" Was what she said

"Guess I showed you huh?" Ash retorted, letting his competitive nature get the better of him, making May look down in defeat. Ash again noticed that she really didn't like this loss, but then he got an idea. Offering his arm out, getting May's attention, Ash flashed a smile at the coordinator, making her wonder what he was up to.

"What are you doing Ash? You won the bet." She pointed out, making her raven-haired companion laugh

"Yeah well it was all in good fun right?" Ash replied, still holding out his arm "Come on, I doubt Dawn's gonna wait up all night for us to get back, and I'm not leaving until you come with me." May simply smiled at Ash. Maybe he didn't quite mean what she hoped he would, but his heart was in the right place. Taking his arm with hers, the two began the long walk back to the Pokémon Center. May slowly leaned her head against Ash's shoulder as she sighed happily.

"_Well… I think this just about seals it. I'm definitely feeling something for you, Ash Ketchum." _May admitted to herself. Ash just smiled to himself as they walked arm in arm, not quite sure why, but he felt like everything was going to be alright.

Several minutes later, the duo walked into the Pokémon Center, only to hear some sort of commotion coming from the dining room. Looking into the room, they were amused to see that Pikachu was performing some sort of show, making funny faces and jumping around, much to the delight of everyone in the room. They loved the show, roaring with laughter as Pikachu impersonated a Wobbuffet, knowing all too well how silly the blue Pokémon could be. Finally taking notice of his trainer standing in the doorway, Pikachu took a final bow and leapt off the table and jumped into Ash's arms, climbing onto his shoulder after a few moments.

"Having fun Pikachu?" Ash teased his partner, as he and May walked back to their rooms

"_Pika Pikachu." _Pikachu replied, rubbing its head in embarrassment

"I thought it was cute!" May added, pinching one of Pikachu's cheeks, further embarrassing the rodent. Normally he'd shock someone who touched his cheeks, but May was a good friend. He'd let it slide… this time.

"Oh yeah Pikachu" Ash began, catching the rodent's attention "What's that key around your neck for?"

"_Pika Pikachu! Pika chuchu Pikapi Kachu pi!" _Pikachu explained, making Ash nod in understanding, and May look at him in confusion.

"He said that Dawn went to the Hospital with Meowth to wait for Stephen to wake up. The key was to the rooms if he felt like going to sleep." Ash explained

"Aw… that's so sweet!" May cooed, making Ash wonder what she meant.

"Should we go wait with her then?" Ash suggested, making May nod

"Of course! Stephen's our friend too so we should be there when he gets better!"

"Right! To the hospital then!" Ash announced, taking May by the hand and charging out the hospital in a hurry, giving the brunette barely enough time to follow.

Dawn was sitting in a chair in the hospital lobby, trying in vain to fall asleep. Her thoughts kept drifting to what Meowth had said about Seviper venom.

"_Are they really that deadly?" _She asked herself, face full of worry as she wondered if the trainer would be alright. _"I hope Stephen will be ok, but even if he is… what happened to him when he was saving May and I? He got surrounded by some sort of… purple aura. And what was with his voice? It sounded like Stephen… but also not… if that makes sense." _ Dawn shook her head to clear her thoughts. She could ask Stephen himself when he finally woke up. Meowth was sitting in the chair beside Dawn, skimming through a magazine. However, he still felt slightly guilty about telling the blunette about the venom's deadly qualities. But she deserved to know the truth, which was that Stephen most likely wouldn't make it. The venom was in his body for far too long at this point, and even a dose of anti-venom was unlikely to save him. It would take a miracle for that to happen.

"Dawn?" A new voice sounded from the doorway, making the two look up. They saw Ash, May, and Pikachu in the doorway, smiling at the two in the chair. May was slightly closer, eager to talk to her female companion.

"Ash! May!" Dawn squealed, happy to see her fiends again. She burst from her chair and enveloped May in a tight hug, calming her nerves down. Once the two coordinators finally released each other from their embrace, they looked at the doorway Stephen had been taken through earlier in the day.

"Any news?" Ash asked, knowing that Dawn would understand his question

"No." she solemnly replied, looking at the floor. A silence fell over the group as they pondered the fate of the trainer. Almost as if on cue, the doors suddenly opened, and a familiar looking doctor walked through. Looking up, the eyes of every young trainer suddenly lit up, thinking the person was Stephen at first, until they recognized the doctor.

"How is he doc?" Ash asked, as the doctor simply looked at the group, his face giving nothing away.

"I'm afraid…" He began, as the hearts of the 5 people in the lobby suddenly sank "I have some bad news."

**And that wraps up chapter 5 everyone! How about that cliff eh? It's all hangy and stuff! I hope you guys liked my Advanceshipping scenes, as they were my first real attempt at romance that doesn't involve a ton of white-knighting. (I'm guilty of doing that a lot) Let me know in review of pm what you thought, and how I can make it better. I'd love to hear from you guys as it makes my day! Also, I apologize if some of you felt Stephen take a bit of the spotlight in some parts, even though he doesn't say anything in the chapter. But, he's in the hospital dying from a snake bite, so it would be a bit odd to not even include him. Anyways, with another chapter out of the way, I'd like to hear what you all thought. See you all next week…time… in chapter six of May a New Day Dawn!**


	6. Chapter 6: What Kills You

May a New Day Dawn Chapter 6

**Hello once more readers! I hope you liked last chapter, as much as I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! Thanks again to everyone who read (all 1600 of you… holy crap!), favorited, followed, and especially reviewed the story so far! And on that note, time to answer some more of your reviews!**

**WeeGee66- Glad to hear you're liking the story man. I wanted to make the chapters long, since I am a fast reader myself and they'd feel too short if they were less than 5000 words. While I don't know if my writing can compare to the anime, especially with the X and Y episodes... I'm glad to hear you like my story!**

**Supermario642- I'm happy you liked the chapter! I really didn't like certain parts of it, but I just couldn't think of different ways to write them. After about a week I said "screw it!" and uploaded it anyways, figuring I kept you guys waiting long enough. I'm also guessing that "fluff" is the term for lovey-dovey stuff? I'm guessing you like the romance aspect of the story a bit more than the other parts eh? If so, keep this in mind. There are a lot of subtle things (especially with the romance) in the story too. Keep an eye out for minor things. For example, one thing I'll bet nobody really noticed was the order in which May and Dawn say Stephen and Ash's names. Dawn says "Stephen and Ash"… while May says "Ash and Stephen". Don't believe me? Go back and look… I'll wait. (whistles a jolly tune whilst waiting) I will have more chapters in the future with ample amounts of this… "fluff" as well so I hope you keep reading!**

**HiroNinja- I tease you with cliffhangers because I'm evil! BWAHAHAHA! But all joking aside, cliffhangers are a great way to keep readers interested in the story, if done properly. I also just got done reading a great book series (****The Wheel of Time**** by Robert Jordan. Check it out, it's a great fantasy novel series) and every fricken chapter in every fricken book was a cliffhanger! These chapter endings made the books really hard to put down, and I can only hope I'm making my cliffhangers just as good. And you are correct about each character having their own personality. I hope to make them obvious throughout the story, but if you or anyone else reading this want to just know from me, feel free to pm me with your question. Finally, I already have a plan for Meowth… and I think you're gonna like it :D. I hope for your continued support!**

**Mito-Ketchump: I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the little "date" that Ash and May had. I actually didn't like it at first when I wrote it. I must have re-written the date about 3 times so I'm happy to hear the final product was good. Also, everyone will have a part in this fanfiction. These beginning chapters were both an introduction to the story and to Stephen as well. There will be gym battles, contests, random events, ad more dates and the sort as well. It's going to be a long story my friend, so I only hope you'll stay for the ride. Thanks again for the review!**

**I would also like to mention a few words of thanks to the three people who inspired me to write this story. So, a big thank-you to Basic Trainer, Advance4ever, and Trt The Wizard for all writing amazing fanfictions! I'd like to also mention basically everyone who wrote a fanfiction about some Ash pairing that was over 100k words. I pretty much read them all… so…yeah… "Learn to follow before you can lead." I hope I can write a story at least half as good as these guys!**

**Many thanks again to everyone who reviews, as they're a great way to show your support in the story. And now, after last time's cliffhanger, I think it's about time I reveal just what happened. So… without further ado… let the story continue!**

_Chapter 6: What Kills You…_

Celebi was flying through the frozen forest as fast as her wings would carry her. Everything was either frozen, half frozen, or made of pure ice. Such was the way of life now. Dodging an icicle hanging from a tree, she once again cursed this frozen world she… and everyone else… had been forced to live in. Where did it all go wrong? No, she knew just where, or rather when this all began. This was, in fact, the reason that she had been flying through the forest. Celebi just HAD to reach her hidden Time Ripple and fix all of this. However, she wasn't alone in her pursuit. She herself, was being hunted. Risking a moment to stop and catch her breath, Celebi turned around to see if she had lost her pursuers, and was relieved to see that she had.

"_There shouldn't be much farther to go now." _Celebi thought to herself, in her high-pitched feminine voice "_If I can just stay away from those dark dogs I should be in the clear unle—" _ Celebi's thoughts were interrupted when a column of fire flew through a gap in the branches, narrowly missing her once she dodged. Looking at the source of the fire, Celebi saw a Houndoom growling at her, its eyes glowing red.

"We finally caught up to you Celebi!" A menacing voice sounded from beside the Houndoom. Looking to the left, a shadowy figure could be seen walking from behind the trunk of a frozen tree. The figure was wearing a semi-pointed hat with a white x on the front. The figure's robes were mostly dark blue, with white borders. Lastly, the figure had a cape that went halfway down the person's thigh. He was one of the Seven Sages who now ruled the world. "Why don't you come quietly so you can personally bow to the Emperor? This little rebellion of yours has already been put down. Nothing you do now can change anything!"

"_It's exactly as you say…" _Celebi admitted, making the sage smirk, thinking he had won _"But… you need to remember to pay more attention to what you say." _The Time Travel Pokémon stated with a smirk of her own, much to the confusion of the sage. 

"What are you on about now?" The sage demanded

"_You said there's nothing I can do NOW that will help me… but you never mentioned me doing something two years ago!" _Celebi pointed out, making the sage go wide-eyed as he realized what she was talking about.

"But that was the year of… The Great Awakening!" The sage said out loud, realizing what Celebi intended, but he soon calmed down. "You surely can't think that you can help the three heroes stop the Emperor do you?!"

"_Maybe I can't… but what if there was another hero?" _ Celebi replied

"What are you—" The sage began, but got cut off as Celebi flung clear orbs of energy at both him and the Houndoom, knocking them back and causing a cloud of snow to fly everywhere. As the sage got up, he struggled to see the little green Pokémon through the white cloud of smoke, only to see her wink at him mockingly.

"_Buh-bye now!" Celebi voiced, vanishing _with a flash of green light.

"No! I won't allow you to change our Emperor's vision!" The sage yelled as he rose. Looking around in panic, he soon saw a faint flash of light several yards away, between the many trunks of frozen trees. Celebi reappeared from the flash and darted off into the forest. "It's over there! GET THAT CELEBI!" The sage yelled at his Houndoom, who rose and took off after Celebi with a howl.

"_That should buy me some time…" _Celebi concluded to herself, flying between the trees in the direction of the Time Ripple. _"But I have to hurry… the Ripple won't stay open for much longer!" _After a time, Celebi flew by a small cave opening. The rocks were covered in ice, and the whole between the rocks making the opening was only large enough for a Pikachu or so. Smiling to herself, Celebi flew through the opening and found what she was looking for. A small chamber was inside of the rocks. The inside was warm, and grass covered the floor. Sunlight filtered through a hole in the roof, and in the floor were a handful of small vents proving the warmth of the chamber that Celebi felt.In the middle of the chamber was a spiraling green vortex; the Time Ripple. Slowly hovering over to the ripple, Celebi began mentally going over her plan.

The world was like this because the Emperor had awakened Kyurem. Using the power of the legendary, the Emperor was about to launch his campaign across the world, only to be confronted by three heroes, who had the legendary Reshiram by their side. Behind them was a small army of friends and supporters. The emperor called on his forces and the two sides fought in their battle. As the legends Reshiram and Kyurem fought, the result was quickly becoming obvious. Alone… it was simply a hopeless struggle. Reshiram was no match for the power of Kyurem's unique ability and was quickly defeated along with the Hero of Truth. As Reshiram fell with its raven-haired champion, the battle quickly turned in the favor of the Emperor and was soon over. The Emperor and his army had won, and world domination was his. Using the power of Kyurem, the Emperor froze the world, killing life of all sorts. People, Pokémon, plants, everything… Only a few of the strongest Pokémon even had a chance of living. This was the dark world Celebi inhabited.

"_I will stop his plot… in this time or another! I MUST!" _Celebi vowed to herself after recalling the legend. Suddenly, she heard an all too familiar sound. The Houndoom had found her. Howling to alert its master, The Houndoom voiced its frustration at being too large to fit into the opening. Upon hearing the dog's howl, Celebi began flying faster towards the ripple.

"Golurk! Use Rock Smash!" The voice of the sage ordered, followed by a loud crashing noise as the Golurk broke a large hole in the cave, sending chunks of rock flying everywhere. As the warm air fled, and slow traveled in, Celebi was hit from behind by a flying boulder, sending her flying and away from the Time Ripple. Weakly rising, Celebi opened one of her eyes to see the sage, his Golurk, and the growling Houndoom all glaring at her. Slowly rising, Celebi wracked her brain trying to come up with a plan. She was now too far away from the Time Ripple to simply make a dash for it, and she was too weak to fight both of the Pokémon before her. What could she do?!

"I suggest you call it quits now Celebi." The sage taunted, a confident smirk showing on his face. The Emperor has been known to sometimes show mercy to those who surrender willingly. I might even forget to mention the fact that you attacked me earlier." He went on, opening his arms to gesture to the Pokémon at his side. "But if you feel like a fight…well… my pets could always use more exercise I suppose. So… What'll it be Celebi?" The sage concluded, leaning forwards to hear the Pokémon's answer.

"_What CAN I do?" _Celebi thought to herself. She had no options left. It was time for a final act of desperation. Who knows? Maybe she'd get lucky. However, before Celebi could put her "plan" into action, a pink crescent-moon energy wave flew into the Golurk, knocking it over on top of the sage and Houndoom, trapping them. Looking up at the opening in the cavern's roof, Celebi observed her savior. It was an Absol, but…different. It was a reddish-orange color where it should have been black. Hopping down from the opening, the Absol ran over to Celebi to assist her.

"_Are you alright?" _He asked, his voice sounding like it echoed. It wasn't a mean voice, but it was deep in its pitch.

"_I'm fine, but how did you find me here?" _Celebi replied. The Absol simply responded by waving his horn a bit, causing Celebi to giggle at herself for forgetting Absol's ability of sensing disasters. _"Well I appreciate the help. Thank you."_

"_You are most welcome." _The Absol began, as the two walked (well… Celebi fluttered) towards the Time Ripple. There wasn't much of a need for a rush now, since the Golurk was still firmly knocked out on top of the two threats. "If I may ask, legendary one, what is this-" He gestured at the Time Ripple _"—for?" _

"_It allows me to travel back in time." _Celebi informed him _"I'm going to go back and save the last one who was needed to save our world from this fate."_

"_Wait… you don't mean?" _Absol began, pausing in his steps

"_Yes… I'm going to go back and save your trainer." _Celebi revealed. Absol looked at the small green Pokémon for a moment before turning away in thought. Could his master really be saved? He could still remember the day that his master was pronounced dead… a Seviper's venom being the killer. It was a dark day, darker than any day that followed, at least for Absol. All of his friends were depressed too, but none of them were hit harder by their loss than Aggron. But, Absol was letting his mind wander. Time to focus on the matter at hand.

"_How exactly do you plan on saving him?" _The Absol finally asked, turning back towards Celebi, who smiled back. Absol's skepticism was understandable of course. Before the Freeze… it wasn't often that a Pokémon had to deal with their trainer dying.

"_Simple!" _Celebi said _"All I have to do is go back to the time where he got bitten and stop the bite from taking place!" _

"_Do you remember when that happened?" _Absol asked, wanting to make absolutely sure that Celebi got it right. Celebi simply responded by placing her hands on her hips and looking at Absol with an expression that said "really?" Absol looked away, realizing it was a pretty stupid question to ask a Pokémon that could time travel. Seeing no room for error, Absol wished Celebi good luck. With a nod, Celebi turned towards the Time Ripple, now mere steps (or rather flutters) away. As she was about to enter the vortex, she heard a shout.

"Houndoom use Flamethrower!" The sage shouted, somehow having removed the Golurk from on top of him. Beside him, the Houndoom opened its mouth and prepared to launch a blast of fire. However, before the Houndoom could attack, Absol jumped in front of it and began hitting the dog with a fury of Slash attacks.

"_Go! Into the vortex!" _Absol shouted, still attacking Houndoom, who was starting to finally attack back. Celebi was simply sitting there, watching the battle take place, a sudden realization coming over her. Looking around, she didn't see the unconscious body of Golurk anywhere. Then she looked up.

"Heavy Slam!" The sage ordered. At its master's command, the Golurk targeted Celebi and extended its arms and legs, dropping out of the air like a boulder. Narrowly dodging the plummeting Golurk by flying backwards, Celebi was now mere inches from the Time Ripple, and she decided it was finally time to go. Turning back to face the Time Ripple, Celebi focused on the exact moment she wanted to go to. After a mere moment's preparation, she dove into the green vortex, which immediately began closing.

"NO!" the sage shouted in desperation. If Celebi's mission was a success, it would mean the ruin of the Empire! He had to stop it! Turning to his Golurk, who was standing in front of the vortex, he thought of one last ditch effort. "Golurk! Shoot a shadow Ball into the vortex!"

"_Goluuurrrrk" _The giant replied, charging a purple ball of crackling energy in its. Just as the vortex was about to wink shut, Golurk released the attack, colliding with the Ripple. In response to the disturbance, the delicate bit of the Ripple cracked and shattered, having unknown effects on Celebi's jump. Looking around, the Sage noticed nothing happening. Had he done it? Looking at his hands, the sage once again noted that nothing was happening. Letting out a relieved laugh, he looked at the now defeated Absol, ready to punish the creature for its interference. Suddenly, everything began to fade. Then blackness.

"I'm afraid…" The doctor began, as the hearts of the five in the lobby sunk "I have some bad news."

"You can't mean—" Dawn began, unable to continue. Her legs began to tremble and her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes. Looking at her friends, she could see them in similar states. May was on the verge of tears and clung to Ash for support. Ash just looked down, his fists trembling. Pikachu looked ready to cry as well, and even Meowth's eyes were glistening with tears.

"You mean Stephen's… gone?" Ash finally voiced, making everyone else wince. They didn't like the thought of death… who did?

"No." the doctor replied, making everyone look at him in confusion. Seeing this, the doctor straightened out. "Let me explain. He's alive, but we don't know for how much longer. The venom got to too many vital organs in his body and it's too late for me to save him. He's out of my hands now. I'm sorry." He concluded, looking at the group with sympathy. _"For a group this young to lose a friend. It seems so wrong somehow." _He thought to himself

"Can… can we see him?" Dawn asked in a shaky voice, and looking at the doctor with a lost expression. Scratching the back of his head in thought, Doctor Walski thought the idea over. Seeing no harm in it, he agreed and led the group to the room where Stephen was. He was asleep in a hospital bed with a breathing mask covering his face. Connected to Stephen's arm was a heart monitor that beeped with his heart; and it sounded slightly slower than normal. Stepping into the room, the group all looked at their friend. It was torture to see him like this, but someone had to be there for him in his… final moments. Ash, May, and Dawn all stood beside Stephen's bed, while Meowth hopped up by Stephen's feet. Pikachu was in his usual spot on Ash's shoulder. Watching the slow rise and fall of the trainer's chest as he breathed, nobody in the group could work up the will to say anything.

"I'm sorry you have to see your friend like this." Dr. Walski said from the doorway "He's far too young to be taken from this world."

"Are you sure there's nothing you can do?" Dawn asked, desperation showing in her voice. Dr. Walski just shook his head.

"Like I said…He's out of my hands now. It'll take a miracle to save him at this point." The doctor replied. Hearing his words, Dawn lost it. Sobbing heavily, she sunk into the chair near the head of the bed and cried into her hands. May was crying into Ash's shoulder, while the raven-haired man was silently weeping at the loss of his brother. Pikachu sobbed into Ash's hat, while Meowth's tears fell onto the blanket he was sitting on. Dr. Walski even felt his heartstrings throb as he watched the group all lament the impending loss of their friend.

"_If only there was something I could do…" _the doctor thought. Suddenly, a bright flash of green light appeared in the middle of the room, grabbing everyone's attention. Shielding their eyes until the light dimmed, the group was amazed to see a Celebi floating mere inches above Stephen's bed. The Celebi looked around for a few moments before turning to Ash, who she recognized.

"Celebi?" Ash asked, recognizing the time traveling Pokémon as well. "What are you doing here?"

"_I'm on a mission." _Celebi telepathically told him, much to his astonishment. Why hadn't she talked to him during his time in the forest by the Lake of Life? However, that seemed a question for another day. _"But I'm not where I was supposed to be. The one I was supposed to save is probably gone by now." _Celebi looked down in defeat. It would be another day or so before she could time travel again.

"_Who was yous supposed to save?" _Meowth asked

"_Well… I see no harm in telling you." _Celebi started _"It was a trainer named Stephen." _Suddenly, everyone perked up.

"But—" Dawn began, pointing at Stephen "That's Stephen right there!"

"_It is?!" _Celebi gasped, turning towards the sick man in the bed. His chest was slowly rising and falling and his heartbeat had slowed slightly as this all went on. _"Then I don't have much time." _

"Time for wh—" May began, but cut herself off as Celebi began to glow white. Slowly, above Stephen's head, a bell made of pure energy formed. As if by magic, the bell began to rock back and forth, sending a heavenly ringing sound throughout the whole room. As the bell rang, a silver dust began to sprinkle onto Stephen, and absorb itself into the brunette's body. As the heavenly bell rang, Stephen began to glow the same white color as Celebi. After a minute of ringing, the bell slowly vanished as Celebi released her energy.

"Was that Heal Bell?" Ash asked, as Celebi happily nodded at him. Turning their gazes from Celebi to the young man in the hospital bed, everyone in the room looked at the results of Celebi's action.

One minute passed…

Two minutes…

Five…

Nothing happened. Stephen's heartbeat was still slower than normal, matched only by the slow rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

"Was… something supposed to happen?" Dawn finally asked, fearing the worst

"_He was supposed to get better…" _Celebi replied, mentally asking herself if she was too late anyways. Everyone in the group felt the all too familiar crushing feeling of not being able to do anything. Looking once more at Stephen on the hospital bed, they felt their eyes water again. Thinking it was close to the time to say goodbye, Dawn leaned over and kissed Stephen in the forehead, much like she did when he was having the nightmare a few nights ago.

Almost as if responding to the blunette's touch, Stephen's heart began to beat faster and soon returned to its normal rate. Stephen's breathing soon improved as well. After a mere moment, the young man's eyes began to flutter for a bit before slowly opening, much to the amazement and joy of everyone in the group.

"Ugh…" Stephen moaned, feeling very… strange… for lack of a better word. "Where am OOF!" Stephen began, but was cut off as something, or rather someone was wrapped herself around him and buried her face in his chest.

"You're ok!" Dawn sobbed into Stephen's chest, unable to contain her joy. A mere minute ago her world had crumbled as Stephen slowly died. Now, out of nowhere, he was back.

"Well in all my years…" Dr. Walski said under his breath, barely believing the sight before him.

"Of course I'm ok…" Stephen sleepily mumbled, trying to comfort whoever it was crying into his stomach. He couldn't quite see straight yet, but he could make out the color blue. "Why wouldn't I be ok?" Rising from her position, Dawn simply wiped her eyes before smiling at the trainer. His mind must be a little cloudy from…well… nearly dying.

"Oh… there's no need to worry." She told Stephen, who vaguely remembered that phrase. It belonged to someone very dear to him.

"Dawn? I'm talking to you right now… right?" Stephen asked, his vision beginning to clear.

"Yup!" Dawn replied, glad that Stephen was coming to his senses. Stephen sat up at this point and looked around the room, blinking several times to clear his eyes.

"Why is everyone all gathered here?" He asked "And just where IS here anyways?" Stephen turned towards Ash, hoping his brother could explain.

"You're in the hospital." Ash told him "You got bitten by a Seviper a while ago so we brought you here. Thanks to both Dr. Walski and Celebi here—" Ash raised a hand to gesture to Celebi floating at his side "—you're a-ok!" Stephen looked at the foot of his bed upon hearing all of this. He had been bitten by a Seviper? Why didn't he remember? He could remember the plan to save Dawn and May when they were kidnapped, confronting Team Rocket, talking to some creepy sounding voice in his head… then… nothing. Noticing their friend's expression, the rest of the group tried to reassure the young man.

"Hey you're ok now and that's all that matters right?" May told Stephen, who looked up at hearing himself addressed

"Yeah you're just fine, so you might as well rest." Ash added

"Thanks guys." Stephen told then, only then noticing a little more about his friends. They looked like they had been crying recently. Why would they need to cry? Were they that worried about a little snake bite? Finally deciding to find out for himself, Stephen asked "What was wrong guys? You all look like you've been crying about something? Did something go wrong?" Everyone in the group looked at each other for a moment before turning their gazes to Dr. Walski. Following their gazes, Stephen too looked at the doctor, hoping for an explanation.

"Well, the thing is young man…" The doctor began, wondering how to explain to a patient that he was supposed to be dead by now "You are, in fact, very lucky to be alive." Stephen raised a questioning eyebrow, informing the doctor to explain a bit more. "When you got here, you were in pretty rough shape. I did all I could by injecting you with Seviper anti-venom, but I was too late. You're friends here all came in to basically say goodbye to you."

"You mean I was going to die?!" Stephen asked, finally grasping the seriousness of the situation. Dr. Walski nodded, and then continued his explanation

"Yes, and if it wasn't for Celebi here—" Dr. Walski pointed at Celebi "—you would most certainly be dead by now." Stephen turned his gaze from the doctor to the small Time Pokémon at Ash's side.

"So I have you to thank for saving me then." Stephen voiced

"_Yup!" _Celebi replied, happy that her mission had succeeded.

"Then I owe you my life." Stephen told Celebi, bowing his head in gratitude "But if I can ask, why did you save me? Am I important or something?"

"_Something like that." _Celebi told the young trainer _"I can't say too much though, I hope you understand; time paradoxes and everything." _Stephen nodded, simply happy to be alive.

"Well is there any way I can repay your kindness?" Stephen continued, feeling in debt to his savior. Celebi simply giggled.

"_You don't need to do a thing! Just live your life to the fullest! But… do try to be careful ok?" _

"You got it!" Stephen replied, giving Celebi a thumb- up with his arm that wasn't attached to a machine. It was about then that his stomach decided to remind everyone in the room that the young man was rather hungry, having not eaten since breakfast. They all simply laughed, much to Stephen's embarrassment, and Dr. Walski left to get a nurse to bring Stephen some food. Everyone else sat down, happy to talk with their friend.

"So…" Stephen began once the doctor left "How exactly did I end up here?"

"_You mean ya don't rememba?" _Meowth asked, still sitting by Stephen's feet.

"No…" Stephen replied with a shake of his head. He then explained the parts he did remember, hoping his friends could fill in the gaps.

"So then you don't remember that purple aura?" Ash asked the brunette trainer, who shook his head again.

"Purple aura?"

"Yeah… right when Team Rocket threatened Dawn, you got shrouded in a strange purple aura. It almost looked like you were on fire. Also, whenever you talked, it sounded like your voice was mixing with someone else's."

"Really?" Stephen asked, trying to absorb all of this new information at once

"You really don't remember anything about it?" Dawn asked, a little happy that he didn't remember. It was scary seeing Stephen like that. He seemed so… different. Almost evil.

"Like I told you guys… I was arguing with some voice in my head… then next thing I know… I'm here in this bed."

"What do you mean by this 'voice in your head'?" May asked

"I don't know." Stephen told her "I was trying to think of a way to save Dawn and then I heard some voice in my head telling me what to do. But it got mad at me for some reason… and that's the last I remember." Everyone got quiet at this point, wondering just who, or what this odd voice was. Thankfully, a nurse walked in with a tray of food at this point, and everyone could happily smile at their friend who ate like Ash usually did. After a minute or two, Ash decided to get up.

"Well we should probably let you get some sleep. I imagine you'll want to rest a bit before we head to Pewter City." Ash told Stephen, who simply nodded his head in confirmation. "Come on guys, we should give Stephen some room so he can sleep."

"Okay!" May chirped, eager to go to bed. Dawn got up more reluctantly, but eventually left the room with Ash, waving a final goodbye to Stephen until they could see him again in the morning.

"_I'll come with you too!" _Celebi voiced, flying through the door before Ash could close it. Soon it was just Stephen and Meowth in the room.

"Well I'm glad you decided to stick around Meowth." Stephen told the cat once his friends had left. Meowth simply met Stephen's gaze, not quite sure how to proceed. Eventually Meowth decided to be blunt and just ask.

"_Well… dere's sometin' I gotta ask ya." _Meowth began, gaining Stephen's full attention _"Now dat I helped ya save your pals from Jessie and James… I was just wondein' what yous was gonna do wit me."_

"I thought that was obvious." Stephen replied, making Meowth look at him in confusion "You're staying with us of course. I caught you… so you're one of the family now." Stephen finished by flashing Meowth a thumbs-up before returning to his meal.

"_You really mean dat?" _Meowth asked, happy to hear Stephen's answer but not sure of its sincerity _"Even after all da trouble I caused yous guys in the past? You're willin' to just drop it all and let me tag along?" _

"Of course!" Stephen answered "You DID help us get Dawn and May back, so I owe you for that one. Besides, you seem like an ok Pokémon to me, so you can stick with as for as long as you'd like." Meowth smiled to himself, almost overwhelmed at the news. He had somewhere to stay, people to stay with him, and he felt… happy. Happier than he had ever felt in a long time. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted when Stephen held a small plastic bowl in front of him. It was filled with a Vanilla pudding and had a small spoon to go with it. "Pudding?" Stephen asked the feline.

"_You mean you don't want it?" _Meowth asked, taking the little plastic bowl in his paws

"Nah, I don't like vanilla much." Stephen replied

"_Well I guess it's a good thing we're in a hospital den."_

"Why?"

"'_Cuz I think dere's sometin still wrong witcha." _The Cat put simply.Stephen had to think for a second on what Meowth said. Once he understood, he couldn't help but snort for a moment before breaking into open laughter, joined soon after by Meowth. The two new friends laughed at the cat's joke for a time before returning to eating, both sensing a bright future on the horizon.

"Well guys I think I'm gonna turn in early." Ash yawned once the group of three arrived at the entrances to their rooms.

"OK!" May replied, eager as well to turn in for bed. Opening the door to the room she shared with Dawn, May allowed the blunette enter first, with Celebi fluttering in the room behind her, while Ash was still searching his backpack for his key. Searching fruitlessly for a minute or two, Ash quickly grew frustrated until someone behind cleared her throat. Turning around, Ash saw May holding the key in her hand with a playful smile on her face.

"Oh so YOU had the key!" Ash stated, and then quickly paused once May began shaking her head.

"Nope… It was still around Pikachu's neck silly." She teased the trainer, sticking her tongue out at him. As Ash took a step closer to reach for the key, May took a step backwards and tucked the key behind her back, making Ash place his hands on his waist, wondering what sort of game she was getting at. "I just wanna say one thing before we all go to bed." May stated, now taking a step closer to Ash so that they were only a foot or so apart.

"What did you need to tell me May?" Ash asked, thinking it was something bad. His thoughts were soon vanquished though as the coordinator quickly enveloped our raven-haired trainer in a tight hug, which he was more than happy to return.

"Thanks for buying me dinner and ice-cream tonight Ash. It was fun!" May spoke into Ash's chest; making the trainer smile as this strange, yet enjoyable warmth spread throughout his chest yet again.

"It was no trouble at all May. We should do it again sometime." Ash replied, meaning every word of it. After a few more seconds, the two finally released each other from the embrace and May handed the key to Ash, who unlocked his door and went inside, ready for a good night's rest. May turned and entered her own room, only to see Dawn lying on her bed on her stomach, giving May a sly grin.

"Sooo~" The blunette began, as she folded her hands under her chin, letting May close the door behind her "How was your date?"

"It was fine." May quickly answered, hoping to not get too flustered at the question. Dawn simply raised her eyebrow, knowing too well that there was more to the story than that. She had also noticed that May hadn't corrected her on the idea that it was, in fact, a date.

"Oh come on now!" Dawn pouted "I know there has to be more to it than that! Spill the details!"

"Oh fine…" May sighed, knowing Dawn wouldn't simply give up "We went to a noodle restaurant and talked about a lot of stuff." May sat on the bed opposite of Dawn, as the blunette drunk every word in "Then we went out for some ice-cream."

"What did you guys talk about?" Dawn piped in, trying to find out more

"Well, mainly just what Ash did while training." May shrugged "The only really notable thing was when we had to pay the bill!" She remembered, making Dawn sit up, eager to hear the details.

"We hadn't noticed that the noodle place was a fancy restaurant until we…well… you know." May recalled, rubbing her head sheepishly while Dawn giggled. She knew how May's appetite was only rivaled, or maybe even equaled by Ash's. It was easy to imagine to that the two racked up quite a bill with their two stomachs combined. "And when I looked at the total I panicked for a moment thinking that there was no way we could afford it! Even if the two of us paid everything we had!"

"Well, you're not washing dishes right now… so how'd you two pay?" Dawn asked

"Well… I didn't actually have to pay at all. Ash paid for the meal."

"By himself?!" Dawn half-shouted, making May wince, hoping Ash wouldn't hear.

"Yeah. He had some weird coins on him, but he wouldn't tell me where they were from."

"Coins?"

"Yeah, he paid with some silver and gold coins that had the picture of some lady on them."

"Odd…" Dawn thought aloud "Where do you think they were from?"

"I have no idea…" May replied, tilting her head in thought. "He did say that he couldn't tell me though. I wonder why…" Both girls simply stared at seemingly nothing, wondering what the young trainer could be hiding. After a while, Dawn broke the silence with another question.

"So how was the ice-cream?"

"It was…good." May said, the blush in her cheeks betraying her. Dawn spotted the color change and decided to push a bit further.

"Just good? What flavor did you pick out?"

"Well… I didn't pick out the flavor. Ash did that too."

"And what flavor did he pick?" Dawn asked again, noticing how May kept dancing around her questions. May's reply was to mutter something under her breath as her blush darkened, much to Dawn's delight. It was cute seeing May like this. Deciding to get revenge for how May teased her at the Ketchum residence, Dawn mimicked May's pose of cupping her hand to her ear and leaning forwards. "You'll have to speak up a bit May."

"We got the Luvdisc Lemonade!" May burst out, only to quickly cover her mouth as her blush darkened yet again. She seemed to be blushing an awful lot these past few days. Dawn simply stared at the brunette, a sly smile slowly creeping along her face until it practically went from ear to ear. Dawn knew very well what Luvdisc were supposed to represent, and she also knew that May understood as well… seeing as she WAS from Hoenn and all.

"Well isn't that just the sweetest thing I ever did hear!" Dawn cooed, much to May's embarrassment. "Is the wedding tomorrow or do I have time to find a dress?"

"Oh you hush!" May snapped back, making Dawn giggle again at seeing her friend so flustered "We just made a little wager and ate our ice-cream. That's all!" May continued, before realizing what she had said and mentally started hitting herself.

"A wager?" Dawn began "What kind of wager?" May simply sighed. She was beaten… might as well spill the beans.

"We bet that is he ate his ice-cream before me I had to cook all of our meals for a week." May began before being interrupted by Dawn's fit of laughter. She, as well as May, both knew that she couldn't cook very well, if at all. After Dawn calmed down, May continued her story. "And if I won, Ash had to… link arms with me and walk me back to the Pokémon Center."

"That's so cute!" Dawn squealed, making May give her an embarrassed smile. "So who won the bet?"

"Ash did." May replied, making Dawn frown.

"Aw… so no linking arms with Ashy-washy?" She teased

"Actually—" May began, smiling to herself "—Ash was kind enough to walk with me back anyways. He said it was all in good fun so I still got my side of the deal." Dawn simply crossed her arms and smiled at her friend. It was nice to see her making progress with Ash. If only she could do the same with Stephen without him…well…dying.

"I'm happy for you May." Dawn said, making May look at her suspiciously. "I mean it! It's nice to see you and Ash getting along so nicely. So—" Dawn began, leaning forwards and resting her hands in her knees which now hung over the side of the bed "—how was it?"

"Well… I definitely felt something." May replied, holding a hand to her heart as she smiled warmly, remembering the feeling of being so close to Ash "I'm pretty sure I at least have a crush on him at this point."

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Dawn spoke as she rose from her bed, making May suddenly look up at her friend "Now all we need is for Ash to hopefully realize the same thing!"

"Right…" May began "Maybe when Spoinks fly." Both girls laughed for a moment at May's joke, until the brunette looked down at the floor. Noticing this, Dawn quickly tried to reassure the girl.

"Hey no need to worry." She quoted, placing a comforting hand of May's shoulder and putting on a warm smile "I'm sure he'll return your feelings eventually. Three years can change a lot about a person… right?"

"You know… Ash said the same thing himself while we ate dinner." May replied, cheering up from her temporary gloom "But I think we've gossiped enough. Should we get ready for bed?"

"Sure!" Dawn replied, walking over to her bag at the foot of her bed to grab her pajamas "I was getting tired of tormenting you anyways."

"Hey!" May called out, pretending to be offended, which made the two laugh. They both had had a long day. It was nice to just joke around at the end of it all. After a few minutes of getting ready for bed, the two coordinators were asleep, happy at the final outcome of this…eventful day.

The next morning, Dawn was the first of the crew to awaken from sleep, quickly rising from her bed to wake May.

"May! Wake up!" Dawn called to the sleeping brunette, shaking her slightly whilst doing so.

"No mom… five more minutes." May mumbled, turning over in her sleep and pulling the blanket closer to herself. Dawn simply sighed and began shaking May even harder, determined to get to the hospital quickly.

"Come on May! Wake up!" Dawn called a little louder. However, she still not no reaction from the brunette, who was happily sleeping the morning away. Then Dawn got an idea. Leaning closer to May's ear, she put her plan into action. "Time for breakfast!" She whispered. Immediately, May sat up in her bed, narrowly avoiding hitting Dawn's head on the way up. Taking a shocked step backwards, Dawn could only smile to herself, wondering why she hadn't thought to use May's love for food first.

"So… where's breakfast?" May asked once she was done looking around for the supposed meal. Turning towards Dawn, May saw the smile the blunette had plastered all over her face, and quickly realized she had been duped! "Hey!" May exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips. "What's the big idea telling me there's breakfast when there isn't any?"

"What are you talking about?" Dawn asked, trying to play innocent "I was just trying to wake you up." She finished by folding her arms behind her back and giving May an innocent smile. However, the brunette coordinator wasn't buying it. Still pouting, but knowing Dawn wouldn't let her fall back to sleep, May got out of bed and at Dawn's gesture, grabbed her set of clothes for the day and walked into the bathroom. Once her friend went to shower for the morning, Dawn went over to her own bag and began picking out her clothing as well. Once her clothing had been all picked out, simply being her usual outfit, she cast a glance over to the couch. Celebi wasn't where she had fallen asleep last night.

"_That's odd…" _Dawn thought to herself. "I guess she just probably had other things to do." After several minutes had eventually passed, May had finished showering and Dawn entered the bathroom in her place. As May sat on her bed brushing her hair, she went over the events of yesterday in her mind.

"_Yesterday was certainly something." _She mused _"First I get kidnapped by Team Rocket, then Stephen gets bitten by a Seviper, only to somehow have Ash and I going on a date." _May's face grew a faint shade of pink upon remembering the date. _"And at the end of it all, we meet the legendary Pokémon Celebi who saved Stephen's life. I knew traveling with Ash would be interesting as always… but I think this one takes the cake. I just hope nothing this drastic happens in the future." _The Brunette concluded as she finished the last stroke of her morning brushing routine. Looking into her pocket mirror, she smiled as how her hair seemed to shine with the early rays of the morning sun trickling in through the window. After several minutes had passed, Dawn finished up her shower and once dressed, sat down to brush her hair as well.

"So how far do you think we'll get in our travels today?" Dawn asked her friend, as both sat on their respective beds

"I'm not too sure." May replied "Kyle said that that new route went right around Viridian Forest so maybe we'll reach Pewter City in a day or two."

"That'd be nice." Dawn added "While I don't mind sleeping outside much, it's so much harder to get your hair like this outdoors!" She held out a few strands of hair to demonstrate her point.

"Well that may be true but traveling is fun!" May countered, fondly remembering all of the places she's visited "and besides… I don't think I'd mind that berry soup that Ash and Stephen made again. It was pretty good."

"Yeah, it sure was! I wonder who taught them how to cook though…"

"I don't care either way who taught them! As long as they don't mind cooking for us I'm a happy May!" May replied, making both girls giggle.

"Speaking of the boys" Dawn began "Once I'm finished here we should wake Ash up. Then we can go to the hospital and get Stephen and set out for Pewter City."

"Sounds like a plan!" May agreed. After another minute or two, Dawn finished brushing her hair and put the brush away. After donning her usual white beanie, the two coordinators were ready to go wake the raven0haired trainer from the slumber he was supposedly in. However, one the girls opened their door, they were shocked to not only see Ash awake, but actually coming down the hallway, obviously having been somewhere earlier in the day. He seemed a little tired too.

"Hey girls! Good morning!" Ash greeted once the girls had exited their shared room

"Morning Ash!" May replied

"Where were you this early?" Dawn added

"I was exercising." Ash answered, sounding like it should've been obvious. Both Dawn and May mentally face-palmed, having forgot their friend's new morning routine.

"Oh that's right! I forgot how early you woke up now!" May added, and then decided to tease Ash a little "It's a big change from having to wake the Snorlax up every morning."

"Hey I'm not a little kid anymore May!" Ash retorted with a laugh "Like I told you, I've been getting up this early for quite a while now. I will admit… it was pretty difficult at first. But, you get used to it."

"So are you all ready to-?" The brunette coordinator began, until she caught a whiff of a certain scent. Covering her nose, she gave Ash a glare, while he simply wondered what could be wrong.

"What's the matter May?" Ash began, only to see that Dawn too, was covering her nose.

"You stink!" Dawn announced, making Ash grow red with embarrassment.

"Aw come on. It can be that ba—" He began

"SHOWER! NOW!" May nearly shouted, pointing to Ash's door.

"Ok! Ok! Gimme about five minutes." Ash replied, taking out his room key and entering his room. Before he shut the door he poked his out from behind it to make a closing statement. "Why don't you two go eat while I shower? I won't be long."

"That's fine just… please… take a shower!" May responded, still covering her nose to guard herself against the smell of sweaty Ash

"Yes mom…" The trainer replied in a sarcastic tone, closing the door before the two girls could nag at him any further.

"Did he really just-?" May began, unable to process what Ash had just said

"I think he was just joking May." Dawn quickly said "Come on, let's go have breakfast."

"Fine." May replied, following the blunette to the Pokemon Center's large dining room. After the two grabbed some plates, they began picking out what they wanted to eat. May began her day with a tower of pancakes that was practically flooded under a river of maple syrup. Dawn on the other hand, decided for a more modest breakfast with some eggs, some slices of toast, and a yogurt. After the two sat down and began eating, it wasn't long before Ash walked in and got himself a stack of pancakes that easily rivaled May's. Sitting down next to the brunette, Ash began eating with his usual enthusiasm. Watching her two friends eating, Dawn could only laugh to herself. She had never met two people who could eat like her two friends did and still maintain their slim figure.

"So once we're done eating we're all set to go to the hospital then?" Dawn asked the two

"Yeah, I don't have any errands to run or anything." May answered

"And once I return the room key we'll be free to go!" Ash finished

"Awesome!" Dawn cheered, eager to reunite with the brunette trainer.

_Meanwhile…_

Stephen reluctantly opened his eyes, not wanting to get up from the surprisingly comfortable bed. Sitting up, he noticed that a certain ball of white fur was curled up on his lap asleep. Smiling to himself, Stephen reached out to scratch his new Pokémon behind the ears, waking Meowth up.

"Morning sleepyhead." The trainer teased, while Meowth blinked the sleep out of his eyes

"_Mornin' already?"_ Meowth asked, the sleep still very much obvious in his voice as he sat up from his sleeping position.

"Yeah, it looks like the sun rose an hour or two ago." Stephen noted

"_And you're wakin' me up now?" _

"Well… I always get up this early." Stephen answered, making Meowth groan. "Aw come on, it's not that bad. You'll get used to it."

"_I sure hope so…" _Meowth concluded, plopping onto his back to stare at the ceiling. Suddenly, the blankets beneath the feline began to shift as Stephen rose to gather his clothing for the day. Walking to the door by the corner, which led to the bathroom, Stephen paused for a moment to turn towards the Pokémon on the bed.

"You mind ordering some food for breakfast? I'm not all that hungry so I'll just take some eggs and toast. You can order whatever you like."

"_Really?" _Meowth asked, already imagining the bounty of food he could order for himself. Seeing the look on the cat's face, Stephen couldn't help but laugh as he decided to amend his statement.

"Of course. Just… try not to go overboard alright?"

"_Yeah… no problem." _And at that, Stephen closed the bathroom door as he went to shower for the day ahead. After about five minutes and a few more to dry himself off, The brunette emerged from the bathroom in his usual attire to see Meowth eating a giant plate of waffles topped with maple syrup and whipped cream. On the stand next to the bed was Stephen's order of eggs and toast. As the two sat down to eat, Meowth thought of a question that had been on his mind since last night.

"_Hey uh… Stephen?" _

"What's up Meowth?"

"_Since yous is keepin' me and all as your Pokémon… does that mean I'm gonna be battlin' for yous too?" _Stephen paused for a moment to think of a response to the cat's question.

"Well that's what I was hoping for. But if you don't want to battle… I won't force you to." He finally answered.

_And you really mean that?_ Meowth asked, making Stephen set down his plate and meet Meowth's gaze.

"Why do you keep asking me if I'm being serious?" Stephen asked "You're my Pokémon Meowth. I care about your well-being and state-of-mind. And I will not force you to do anything you don't want to do. Is that so hard to understand?"

"_It just takes a little getting' used to." _Meowth replied, looking off into space _"After years of bein' wit Jessie and James it just sounds odd that yous actually listen to me. I mean yeah, dey were great pals at first. We'd share the few bits of food we had and we'd all share a bed on a cold night to keep warm. But den after you and Ash vanished for tree years… dey changed. Dey got meaner, colder, almost evil." _Meowth shuddered, as if remembering something awful "_We started nabbin people too in order to achieve our missions. If our hostages refused to come quietly or the people refused to give in to our demands… we'd…we'd…"_ And Meowth would say no more as he closed his eyes, unable to continue.

"It's ok Meowth." Stephen replied, reaching a hand over to pat the feline on the head "You've been through a lot… but that's in the past now. We'll have lots of fun adventures together and see many new places. We'll become closer as Pokémon and trainer and maybe even make some new friends. So, how about it? Let's just put the past behind us and look forward to the future eh?" Stephen finished by flashing Meowth a thumbs-up and giving him a wide grin. Meowth simply stared at the trainer for a moment, until his smile was too contagious and Meowth was suddenly grinning as well.

"_You got it! The Future it is!" _Meowth cheered, holding his fork into the air as it dripped maple syrup. The two then continued eating, the last of Meowth's worries pushed from his mind. After the two had finished eating, Stephen gathered up his belongings and went to the lobby to await the arrival of his friends.

"Come on guys! Hurry up!" Dawn called from the several feet up the sidewalk. The gang had checked out from the hotel and was now heading to the hospital. However, Dawn seemed to be getting a bit antsy as they got closer and closer to the building.

"We're coming already!" Ash hollered back, somewhat surprised at the coordinators behavior. "Dawn sure is excited to see Stephen again huh May?" he whispered to May, who was walking beside him.

"Oh, you have no idea." She muttered under her breath. After a few more minutes of walking, the trio finally arrived at the hospital to see Stephen and Meowth sitting in the lobby reading magazines and didn't seem to notice the gang walk in. Taking advantage of the situation, Dawn walked up behind Stephen and covered his eyes with her hands.

"Guess who~" She sang into his ear.

"Hm…. Is it May?" Stephen guessed, playing dumb.

"No~ Guess again!"

"Nurse Joy?"

"Nope! Guess again!" Dawn repeated in a voice that said "You better get this right or I'll hurt you." Laughing at her tone, Stephen decided to be serious.

"Of course I know it's you Dawn. How could I forget that voice of yours?" He told the blunette, who finally uncovered his eyes and folded her hands behind her back, beaming at the trainer. Her heart was simply swelling to see him again, and she was starting to piece together why. After May's admission to having a crush on Ash last night, Dawn was wondering the same thing about her relationship with Stephen. Could they be more than friends?

"Happy to see me?" She asked, still smiling at Stephen, who was returning the gesture

"Of course. I hate being cooped up here indoors. I want to hit the road again as soon as possible."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Dawn asked, ready to leave as well "Let's go!"

"Well… I've got to pay my bill first." Stephen replied, stopping Dawn in her tracks. "Just gimme a second and I'll be all set." He finished, walking towards the front desk to pay the hospital bill.

"Here you go." The nurse said, handing Stephen the bill. His face seemed to darken a bit as he read the total.

"_How the hell am I supposed to afford this?" _He thought _"Well… I CAN afford it… but I'm not supposed to just go announce that I'm a member of—" _Stephen's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Ash walked over and tapped his shoulder, shaking the trainer from his trance.

"You can use the coins. May saw me use them yesterday." Was all he said. Stephen nodded in understanding and dug into his pack, grabbing out some gold and silver coins. Counting them out, he placed the sum onto the front desk, while the nurse looked at him completely shocked.

"Oh! I didn't realize noble Sir!" She said with a bow of her head "It was a pleasure having you here. Please give the Queen my regards."

"You know where these coins are from?" Stephen asked, genuinely shocked.

"Of course. I was born in—" She began, before Ash and Stephen both cut her off with a "shh!", making the nurse jump a little

"We're not supposed to mention our positions in the Queen's Court. Please understand." Stephen apologized, hating how he had to keep this secret from everyone.

"Of course Sir. This should easily cover the bill. May Aura be with you." The nurse concluded, collecting the coins.

"And also with you." Stephen replied, bowing his head before turning to leave with Ash following behind him. Both of the coordinators had seen what happened and were wondering just what this secret was. But they knew better than to try to bother the trainers trying to figure it out. They'd spill the beans when they felt they could.

"Ready to go everyone?" Ash asked the group once they were all together again.

"Yup!" Was the unanimous reply. Even Pikachu and Meowth seemed eager to go. Hopping up onto Ash's shoulder, Pikachu pointed a little paw towards the door as if shouting "Onwards!" and the gang all left for Pewter City.

Nearly an hour after leaving the city, the gang came upon a fork in the road near the entrance of the Viridian Forest. The route looked freshly made and clearly hadn't been traveled on much.

"This must be the route that Kevin was talking about." Ash observed

"You think it really goes right abound the forest?" Stephen asked

"It looks that way."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ash shouted as he took off at a sprint down the newly made rode. His friends could only sweat-drop at their friend's antics.

"Some things just never change…" May sighed as she watched the retreating figure of Ash.

"Well come on you two… I'm not gonna let him just get away with ditching us back here." Stephen called to the two coordinators behind him. "Let's go after him!"

"Right behind you!" the two girls cheered as all three of our heroes ran after their impatient friend. Luckily for Meowth, he had claws that he could dig into Stephen's jacket so as to not fall off. After nearly a half-hour of non-stop running, Ash decided to slow down a bit and wait for his friends to catch up.

"I really need to watch myself on that." Ash muttered to himself as he regretted his impatience getting the better of him. "But I guess at least when they catch up we can make some lunch. I wonder what May will be making." Suddenly, Ash heard what sounded like some people sprinting in his direction. Not believing that his friends caught up with him already, Ash turned around only to freeze as he recognized the three shapes of Stephen, May, and Dawn all racing up the road in his direction.

"There he is! Full steam ahead!" Stephen shouted as the trio released the last bit of their energy to charge at the raven haired man. In his hurry to escape, Ash's foot slipped from underneath him and before he could recover, he was tackled to the ground by his three friends. Laughing at the childishness of it all, Ash struggled in vain to get his three friends off of him. Pikachu was simply laughing at his trainer, having hopped off of his shoulder right before impact.

"Come on guys! Get off of me!" Ash wailed, finally giving up on removing his friends by force

"Not until the lesson sinks in mister!" May retorted

"And what lesson would that be?"

"TO NOT LEAVE YOUR FRIENDS BEHIND!" She shouted, making Ash wince. He did have to admit, despite getting older, he could still be a bit impatient.

"Ok! Ok! I'm sorry! Can you please get off of me now?" Ash tried, hoping to appeal to his friends' sense of pity.

"Hm…" May replied, lifting a finger to her chin in thought before turning to the other two on top of Ash "What do you guys think?"

"I think we've tortured the poor guy enough." Dawn replied "Stephen?"

"Yeah. He's had enough." The brunette trainer replied, getting off of his friend and wiping the dirt off of his outfit. "Besides, I think it's about time for lunch anyways."

"What's on the menu then?" Dawn asked, now standing as well.

"Why don't you ask May?" Ash piped in, making the two look at May in confusion, while the bandana wearing coordinator simply bore an expression of shock. She had forgotten all about the bet.

"Oh yeah!" Dawn suddenly cheered "That was the other part of your bet wasn't it?"

"Bet?" Stephen asked while crossing his arms in thought "What bet?" Both Dawn and May tried to fill our poor hero in at the same time, each drowning the other out to make an undecipherable mess. "Hold on a second!" Stephen finally shouted after mere seconds trying to listen to the same story twice at once. "One at a time now…"

"Ash and May went out on a date!" Dawn chimed in before May could even open her mouth. Stephen simply raised an eyebrow and motioned for Dawn to continue with her explanation. "While you were at the hospital they went out for dinner and ice-cream. Then they made a bet, which May lost, and now she has to do the cooking instead! Right May?" She finished, turning towards her friend, who was still on top of Ash I might mention, and had developed a reddish tint in her cheeks.

"Well in that case… what's on the menu Miss Chef?" Stephen teased, remembering what May had called him a few days prior. Finally regaining her composure, May rose from sitting on top of Ash and pondered her answer a little before answering.

"Well…honestly… I was hoping to find out how to make that berry stew you guys made a few nights ago." She replied as Stephen nodded.

"No problem. I'll go find us some berries." He replied, turning towards the forest until he stopped as he felt a hand grab his arm. Turning his head to the right, Stephen saw Dawn holding onto his arm with a concerned look in her eyes. "What's up Dawn?" He asked, wondering for a moment what could have her so spooked before realizing that just last night he had been dying in a hospital. Poor girl was probably still scared.

"Well…I…It's just…" Dawn stuttered only to have Stephen chuckle to himself for a moment, touched by the blunette's concern.

"You wanna come along?" He suggested, making Dawn's face light up. Unable to say anything, she simply nodded in agreement.

"We'll get everything else ready while you're gone!" Ash called, finally standing now that he didn't have other people on top of him.

"We won't be long!" Stephen called over his shoulder as he and Dawn disappeared into the forest. Meanwhile, Ash dug out his backpack and got out the same kettle they had used for stew before and a spoon for stirring.

"Would you mind getting some water May?" Ash asked the brunette, who nodded and grabbed a bucket and ran off to find some water while Ash began building a fire. "Could you help me out Meowth?" He said, looking up at the feline, who seemed to have nothing to do.

"_Sure." _Meowth replied, grabbing some twigs for kindling

_Meanwhile…_

"So I guess you're still a bit spooked huh?" Stephen said when the two were finally in the forest. Dawn simply looked at him, wondering if she was really that obvious.

"Well yeah… you DID almost die yesterday." Dawn pointed out, her voice shaking slightly at the thought of it.

"Yeah… I know." Stephen finally said, gloom touching his voice to match the one felt by Dawn. "And I'm really sorry if I made you guys worry about me." Dawn could only look at the trainer, completely dumbfounded. He had saved her life and nearly given up his own, and he was apologizing for making her worry?! It seemed almost funny. "Which reminds me! I have something for you!" Stephen announced, digging through his shoulder bag. However, before he pulled out the gift, Stephen paused for a moment. "Close your eyes first." He suddenly instructed, making Dawn wonder what the gift could be.

"Why? What did you get me exactly?" Dawn asked, starting to feel a little giddy inside. As Stephen simply stared at her, Dawn finally complied and shut her eyes, eagerly awaiting her surprise. Suddenly, she felt her beanie get lifted off of her head only to be replaced by something much lighter. Opening her eyes, Dawn saw that Stephen was beaming at her, apparently happy with his gift. Raising her hands to the top of her head, Dawn picked up what felt like a circlet made of grass…but not quite grass.

"You like it?" Stephen asked once Dawn had the Tulip Crown in front of her face. He was somewhat shocked it held its shape so well after it's time in the bag, but this was no time for complaining. Dawn's face simply looked shocked at her gift. Where on Earth had Stephen found tulips? They were even her favorite color!

"Where did you find these?" Dawn finally asked.

"Do you remember when I ran into the woods before we got to Viridian City?" Stephen asked, only continuing when Dawn finally nodded "Well that's when I found these. I made it as an apology for not writing to you for those three years."

"So you went out of your way just to find my favorite flower and make a gift for me?" Dawn began, finally realizing what this all added up to.

"Well… yeah basically." Stephen admitted, rubbing the back of his head. He only continued that for a moment before Dawn suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, which Stephen returned after his brain registered what was going on.

"Thank-you." She whispered "It means a lot that you'd do something like that for me."

"_I'd do anything for you Dawn." _Stephen's voice suddenly sounded in Dawn's mind, making her pull back from the hug.

"Do you really mean that?" She asked Stephen, who looked back at her in confusion.

"Mean what?" Stephen asked back, unsure what she was asking about.

"Nevermind… I must've just heard something." Dawn replied, placing Stephen's gift on her head _"That voice again… it HAD to be Stephen!" _Dawn thought "Anyways, we should go find those berries for the stew!"

"Right! Just gimme a minute." Stephen replied, closing his eyes. After several deep breaths, he opened them again to reveal that they had turned violet once more. After searching the ground for a moment, Stephen motioned for Dawn to follow him as he followed the trail that only his eyes could see. After some time running from tree to tree, the two had collected a wide variety of berries from different trees and they were now heading to camp.

"So… how long do you think it'll take before we reach Pewter City?" Dawn asked as the two walked back to camp.

"It's a bit hard to say…" Stephen began "I've never used this Route before. But since we're not going through the forest… maybe we'll get there tonight."

"It'll be nice to see Brock again." Dawn began as Stephen chuckled to himself

"Yeah. I just hope the women of this world have been safe from him while we were gone."

"Well… he DOES have Croagunk to keep him in check."

"True." And at the end of this little remembrance session, the two walked out of the woods into the clearing they had set up camp in. A fire was going now and there was boiling water in the kettle. Ash and May were happily talking while Pikachu was playing with Eevee. Meowth was sitting by the fire, warming himself.

"Hey you two!" Ash called with a wave after seeing the two emerge from the forest.

"How's it goin' guys?" Stephen called back, placing the berries down as Dawn did the same.

"We got the fire started!" May chirped "We were just waiting for you two to come back with the berries."

"Well… we did our part." Stephen began, walking to sit underneath a nearby tree "Now you guys can finish the job!"

"Leave it to me!" May cheered as Ash went to show her how to slice each different berry. After some time of preparation and cooking, the stew was eventually finished. After everyone was dished up and happily eating away; it was time for conversation.

"So you two know all about what Ash and I did while out training… what about you two?" Stephen began, throwing a glance at the coordinators "How did all of the contests go exactly?"

"Well. I didn't win any Grand Festivals yet." May began "But I did get second place last year in the Johto Festival!"

"Not bad." Stephen commented, taking a big spoonful of stew "How 'bout you Dawn?"

"I haven't won a Grand Festival yet either." Dawn admitted "But I have been doing really well! I did at least make it to every single one I signed up for!"

"Awesome!" Ash replied, making the blunette beam. "It sounds like you both did really well!"

"Yeah well… we had amazing teachers." May stated, referring to both Ash and Stephen, who simply smiled back modestly.

"Well now that we're back… maybe you guys can show us in person just how much you've improved if we ever find a contest hall." Stephen suggested

"We'd be more than happy to!" Both girls replied at the same time, making their two "teachers" laugh. It seems their own eagerness had rubbed off on their students; enough to last longer than their three year absence. After everyone had finished eating and dishes were done being washed, our heroes decided to take a quick nap before continuing their journey.

"Alrighty I'll wake everyone up in about an hour." Stephen announced, as he found a tree to take a nap under. Once everyone had done the same, they were all asleep and dreaming about the adventures they would soon have.

**And that concludes Chapter six! I know there hasn't been any action in a while, but fear not! I have another battle planned for next chapter and a tournament in the (hopefully) near future! Leave a few words on what you guys thought of the chapter and the story thus far! Lastly, I have a question for you guys. I've been playing X and Y lately (who hasn't?) and I really like the story. I've had another idea for a story for X and Y involving only Stephen (as the main character at least). It could also be a bit of a release for myself whenever I feel like writing about him as the main character. What do you guys think? Would you like me to start a side project? It may slightly hamper updates for May a New Day Dawn slightly, but since I'm resuming college soon update will be slower anyways. That's it for my post-story notes. See you all next time!**


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